Categories: Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 cup roasted cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon Sambal chile paste, optional
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, dived
- Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half, I use 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- Sprinkle with garlic powder
Directions
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Prepare roasted tomatoes.
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Toss all of the roasted tomatoes ingredients in a mixing bowl: olive oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder and tomatoes, toss to combine. Set tomatoes on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven of 425 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes.
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Remove from oven and cool on pan.
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Prepare pasta.
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Boil a large pot of salted water of medium-high heat. Add penne and cook according to the package directions. Once noodles are al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the remaining water from the noodles and rinse noodles with cold water so that they don’t stick together.
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Prepare sauce while pasta is cooking.
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To make sauce heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Chop up the uncooked bacon and add to the skillet, cook until done. Once the bacon is thoroughly cooked, drain and place in a bowl, set aside.
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Place skillet back on the heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil add onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add roasted tomatoes and spinach. Remove from heat. Add in mascarpone, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup reserved pasta water and chile paste, if desired. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in bacon and pasta. I add ½ of the pasta and toss to coat.
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At this point you can add the remaining pasta or add as much as you would like. If you want a creamier pasta, only add about ½ – ¾ lb. of pasta. We love about ¾ lb. and keep the remaining ¼ lb. of cooked pasta for my son, who hates tomatoes.
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Stir in remaining fresh tomatoes. And serve topped with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.