Canadian Bacon and Mozzarella Penne

Submitted by kzbhansen

"This is so good!!! Love the combinations of flavors in this pasta!!"

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 1 1/2 in cubes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1 lb penne
• 1⁄2 lb Canadian bacon, cut into 1/4 Inch pieces

directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the parsley.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderately low heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until.
3. translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, the remaining 1/2.
4. teaspoon salt, and a pinch of red- pepper flakes. Reduce the heat and.
5. simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
6. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done, Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta-cooking water.
7. Drain.
8. Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce, mozzarella mixture, and Canadian bacon.
9. If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta-cooking water.

Reviews

[Baby Kato]

We really enjoyed this quick and easy to make recipe. I love that it is so versatile. I had to substitute a few ingredients, even after doing this it still tasted great. Lovely flavors and textures. The mozzarella is a nice contrast to the bacon and tomato. Made exactly as written but used a variety of small pastas, dried parsley and coarsely squished whole tomatoes. I was also pretty heavy handed with the red pepper flakes . Thank you for sharing your recipe, it was a nice comfort dish on a cold winter evening.

 

[Cook In Northwest]

While I have to admit I did not use penne, but a mix of macaroni and fusilli, I was careful to follow the recipe otherwise with the exception of a tad bit more cheese as my cutting was inexact. Both hubby and I agreed that this was a 3-star recipe. The flavors were OK, but there was just something missing. Maybe some cream or white sauce would have helped? Perhaps marinara sauce instead of tomatoes? Maybe some oregano? (I just couldn't put my finger on it.) In any case, don't be afraid to try this - it really wasn't bad. It was just disappointing after seeing all the 5-star reviews.

 

[mommymakeit4u]

This was good.. I added some grana padano to the mozzarella mixture and also used italian spiced tomatoes. I'll make it again, thanks!

 

[FrenchBunny]

This was absolutely delicious. I loved it. I think I may of added the pepper flakes twice because it really had a great kick to it. I used Ziti and not Penne because that is what I had on hand. I also used a 28oz can of small diced tomatoes and didn't need any water added. Mmmmm, mmmmmmm so yummy. It seemed so quick to make as well. The flavors were really terrific as is but I can see this recipe as a fantastic base with plenty of possible add ins of veggies or more spices. Thank you so much for this recipe Karen, it was wonderful.

 

[Irmgard]

This is delicious, easy to make and I also love the combination of flavours! The only very minor changes I made were to use a half pound of diced pancetta, since that is what I had on hand, and I used a 19 oz tin of tomatoes so didn't need to add the extra water. The texture of the sauce is just perfect, like what you would get in an Italian restaurant. I will definitely make this again!