Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta
Fresh herbs make all the difference in this Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta. Fresh parsley and basil with peppers, garlic, and onion. Bring in the savory flavors of ham, bacon, and parmesan cheese mixed into a pot of large shell pasta. Delicious all day, every day.
I call this my “Weekend” dish, because it’s nice to make a large pot of it, then eat as leftovers. Taking a break from the kitchen now and then, but having a scrumptious pasta dish to heat up is my idea of brilliant.
It makes enough for 8 servings and it heats up beautifully the next day in the microwave.
Add about a tablespoon of water to a single serving, cover it up, then zap it in the microwave. Microwaves can be different, I set my timer for about 80 seconds.
When I remember, I like to put the cheese on before I microwave it, so it’s all cheesy and melted. Delicious.
Whipping up a batch of Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta
You’re going to need a skillet and a large pot for this recipe; the pot for the pasta, the skillet to cook everything else.
To start things off, cook up the bacon until it’s nice and crisp. Let them drain on paper towels to remove excess grease, then chop them up when they’re cool enough to handle.
You want to retain about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet to saute the next few ingredients; ham, pepper, and onion. Stirring often, cook about 5 minutes.
Next, stir in the basil, oregano, garlic, and parsley. It’s going to start smelling really good about now.
Keep cooking until the pepper and onions soften and the ham browns just a little…maybe 2 – 3 minutes more.
When do I cook the pasta?
Now. Salt the water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, about 10 – 11 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, go ahead and drain it.
Meanwhile, add the chopped bacon, chicken broth, and lemon juice to the skillet. This needs to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by about half.
I recommend you putting the pasta back into the large pot you cooked it in, because you have to stir everything together now. I’m thinking it’s easier to stir things in a bigger pot.
Once everything from the skillet has been mixed with the pasta, serve the Parmesan cheese on the side, or sprinkle right on top before you serve.
Love those pasta dishes? Me too.
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Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 2 cups cooked ham, cubed
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tsp. fresh basil, minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 lb. large shell pasta
- 1 can (10.5 oz.) chicken broth
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a skillet or large fry pan, cook bacon. Drain on paper towels and chop when cool enough to handle. Set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in pan.
- In skillet with reserved bacon fat, sauté ham, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes. Stir often.
- Stir in basil, oregano, garlic, and parsley. Continue cooking until vegetables are crisp tender and ham has slightly browned. Approx. 2 - 3 minutes more.
- Begin cooking pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta when cooked.
- Stir in bacon, chicken broth, and lemon juice to ham mixture in skillet. Simmer uncovered for approx. 15 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half.
- Mix pasta with ham mixture, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta
Lastly, please feel free to rate the recipe below, and leave a comment.
Also, I hope you’ll follow me on Pinterest and post a picture of your very own Weekend Bacon Basil Pasta. Happy cooking and happier weekend!
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