A quick one-pot pasta dish with peppers, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes tossed with tomato sauce and topped with crunchy bacon, fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Weeknight summer dinner doesn't get easier or more delicious than this!
You will need:
Penne pasta - 8 oz
Bacon - 4-6 rashers, diced
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Garlic - 3-4 cloves, minced
Red pepper - 1, de-seeded and cut into thin strips
Button mushrooms - 4 oz, sliced
Green peas - ¼ cup, fresh or frozen
Sun-dried tomatoes - 4 oz, roughly chopped
Tomato sauce - one 14 oz bottle
Fresh parsley leaves - 3 tbsp, chopped
Parmesan cheese - ¼ cup, grated (or more, as per taste)
How to:
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water till al-dente. Drain and set aside, reserving a cup of the starchy cooking liquid.
Fry bacon in a skillet on medium heat till crisp and browned. Remove and set aside.
Retain the bacon fat for further cooking. If you feel it is less, add 2 tsp of olive oil.
Keeping the skillet on medium heat, add garlic and saute till fragrant.
Then add the peppers and mushrooms and saute for a few minutes till mushrooms are lightly browned and peppers are tender-crisp.
Add peas, sun-dried tomatoes and the pasta sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add cooked pasta and toss well. Add some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce, if needed.
Top with fresh parsley, fried bacon and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Use good-quality, organic home-style pasta sauce. I always pick one which is lightly flavored with herbs.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2016/07/26/bacon-mushroom-peppers-tomato-pasta/