Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

The first time I made Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon I found it was tasty but not really flavorful. The pasta to sauce/ingredient ratio was lacking. That time I followed the recipe exactly. So as I was planning my menu for the next week. (A rarity for me.) I looked at this recipe and decided to try it again, with some Fine Mama's twists.

 I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com. I absolutely love the site. Lots of great recipes and I encourage you to go out there and look for some too. To tweak this recipe, I went to the website and pulled up the recipe. Using the serving size adjustment tool, I doubled the recipe. I figured I like the flavors, but wanted more flavor. As I was cooking, I thought of the pasta to ingredient ratio and decided to only use one box of pasta. Doubling the recipe called for two. I then followed the directions and cooked the bacon until crisp and brown, but use the doubled amount. I used more garlic but didn't double it. Doubled the amount of diced tomatoes and the spinach. I did add one simple ingredient: fresh cracked black pepper:

 The result: 



Here's the link to the original recipe:

  Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon. 

Here's the way I tweaked it and gave it a Fine Mama's touch:

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package of penne pasta
4 tbsp olive oil, divide in equal parts
12 slices of bacon, chopped
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes (recommend using no salt added)
Fresh cracked pepper
2 bunches (or 1 large plastic container) fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite size pieces

Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. (Salting the water here is the main seasoning for your spinach later) Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the bacon in the skillet and cook until browned and crisp. (If you have excessive amounts of oil after this step, remove all but 2 - 3 tablespoons). Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, lightly season with pepper and cook until heated through. Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted. Transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with the remaining olive oil. Toss with the bacon and tomato mixture. Serve and enjoy!


 Live well, eat well, enjoy!

 Cyn aka Fine Mama