Simple Italian

A new years resolution that I have made is to cook outside of my usual cooking and try new recipes or to create new recipes. I am also going to try to cook slightly healthier. Below is a recipe that I have created. It can be made healthier by substituting the sour cream for either light sour cream or greek yogurt. Arielle and I purchase the veggie trays from Costco and some times it can be a lot of food for two people. For this recipe we actually use the broccoli and cherry tomatoes from the Costco veggie tray. I also buy bacon at Costco (it comes with four one pound packs) which I freeze due to the quantity. For this recipe I just cut off four, 1/4" slices across a package and throw it into the pan frozen. This is convenient since I don't have to use a lot of bacon and I don't have to thaw it either.

I also received some great gifts for Christmas, my birthday, and my anniversary including some kitchen related items. I will do a product review in the future once I have used them many times. I hope every likes the recipe below as it is very simple and fast to make.

Light Bacon and Broccoli Pasta

Yields 2 Servings

8 oz Penne Pasta
1 Tbl Olive Oil
1/6 lb Bacon
2 cloves Garlic
2 cups Broccoli
1 cup Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbl Water
1 Tbl Butter
1/4 cup Sour Cream
Parmigiano Regiano

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook following directions.
2. Add olive oil to frying pan and heat. Slice bacon and add to frying pan.
3. Mince garlic, chop bell pepper into thin bite size pieces, slice cherry tomatoes, and cut broccoli into bite ssize pieces.
4. After bacon is cooked, add the garlic and vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 Tbl of water and cook until vegetables are tender.
5. Add butter and melt, then add sour cream and stir until well combined.
6. Strain pasta and add to frying pan. Dish mixture into bowls and add parmigiano regiano to taste.