Bacon Tomato Pasta

WARNING!!!!! - This lovely pasta dish is FULL of flavor and.....it is NOT low-fat at that.  But man-o-man once you bite into this pasta dish you will not regret the fact that you have saved extra calories throughout the day (or week) to eat this dish.  I can seriously promise you that....you will not regret enjoying every bite of this pasta dish.

I was attracted to it not only because it was a pasta dish (love pasta!!!) but also because it uses lots of fresh ingredients....along with the yumminess of bacon grease.  Yes, bacon grease.  Bacon grease is ingredient that really does not help out with the fat content.  But anyway, let's stop worrying about the "fat" and get to recipe so that you can hurry up and make it for your family ASAP.

Bacon Tomato Pasta

(recipe discovered on Tasty Kitchen blog from the member, PlanoSheila)

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz.) of bacon, naturally flavored

1/2 cup bacon grease - from the bacon you are cooking

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped FRESH basil - extra for garnishing

2 cloves garlic, minced/crushed

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tsp salt - if needed

2 small tomatoes, chopped - for garnishing

Grated parm cheese - for garnishing

1 box (16 oz) Capellini or Angel Hair pasta

Directions:

1. Fry bacon in a large frying pan or dutch oven....

....making sure it is cooked thoroughly but not crispy.  Drain cooked bacon on paper towels....

....Do NOT throw away bacon grease!!!! You will need to reserve 1/2 cup of grease.....

....I know, I know...it is a little bit more than 1/2 cup in this picture. :-)  Dump any remaining grease out.  No need to clean pan after cooking all of the bacon for it only adds to the flavor of the dish further.

2. When the bacon is fully cooled break into small pieces with your fingers....

....and set aside.

3. Dump tomatoes from cans into a large bowl.  Throw in chopped fresh basil.....

 and stir.  If you feel like you don't have enough basil feel add more.  Set bowl aside allowing the flavors of the tomatoes and basil to blend together.

4. Crush or dice up your garlic and chop the green onions...

5. Pour your 1/2 cup of bacon grease back into your pan and heat at medium heat for 2 minutes.  Throw in garlic and green onions....

....Cook (stirring occasionally so that the garlic doesn't burn) until onions start to get a nice tan from the bacon grease and then add in bacon....

....Reduce heat to low and allow bacon, garlic and onions to saute for about 10 minutes.

6. Add in bowl of tomatoes and basil....

....Stir together really well.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for a good 20 minutes.  Taste and add salt if needed (I honestly, didn't need any extra salt at this point - the flavors were already perfect thanks to that lovely bacon grease!).

7. Meanwhile in a large pot cook your pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.  Right before serving, in a VERY large bowl, add in bacon/tomato sauce to the pasta.  Many thanks to my strong Dad for doing the pouring of the sauce....

 ....Gently combine well....

8. Garnish with freshly chopped tomatoes, basil and some parm cheese.  Soooooo yummy!!!! And left-overs the next day are super yum too!

Happy Bacon Tomato Pasta Making!

***More yummy recipes can be found at Mommy's Kitchen - Pot Luck Sunday