Broccoli & Bacon Pasta

Hey y’all.  Here is another great pasta recipe that is not only easy to do, but you can substitute any fresh veggies you may have on hand.  I love the great contrast between the bacon and the broccoli in this dish.  This is a great recipe to use up all those extra cherry tomatoes you may have on the vines this time of year and such a light fresh sauce for the pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3pound  bacon – diced into small pieces
• 1 large sweet onion (luckily it’s Vidalia Season so I used one of those) – diced
• 1  1/2 – 2 pints cherry tomatoes – left whole
• 4 cloves garlic – chopped
• 3-4 cups broccoli florets
• 8-10 fresh basal leaves chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Asiago cheese (Parmesan works well too)-grated
• salt and pepper to taste. (be careful with the salt, remember there is already salty bacon in here)
• 1 pound linguine (or whatever pasta you prefer)

1. Bring large pot of heavily salted water to boil for the pasta. (do not throw out water after cooking pasta)

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the diced bacon.  Cook bacon till done and crispy.  Add the broccoli florets and cook for just 2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan, put in small bowl and set aside.

3. Add the diced onion, garlic  and red pepper flakes.  Cook for a few minutes until just becoming tender.

4. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cover.  Let cook covered until the tomatoes begin to burst. (about 10 minutes) If using boxed pasta, add it to boiling water now to cook.  If using fresh pasta, wait about 7 minutes because fresh pasta does not take as long to cook as store bought boxed.

5. Uncover the tomato mixture and add the basil, linguine, and cheese and toss.  Taste and season with salt and pepper per taste.  You can use a bit of the pasta water to thin the sauce if you find it to thick.\

6. Drizzle just a bit of olive oil over pasta before serving.