Creamy BLT Pasta (Rachael Ray)

Lori Mama's Note:

My husband mmmmmm'd his way through this recipe, so I had to add it to my cookbook, with slight modifications.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 5 -6 slices good quality bacon, sliced across into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 medium leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• black pepper
• 1 round tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed and diced
• 1 (5 1/2 ounce) package boursin cheese combined with 3 tablespoons minced mixed herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary and parsley
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once at a full rolling boil, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
2. In medium sized saute pan, fry the bacon until almost crisp.
3. Drain and set aside.
4. In the remaining bacon drippings, add leeks and garlic and season with pepper. Stir a few minutes to soften then add tomato paste and stir a minute more; add wine and reduce by half. Add tomatoes and heat through.
5. Stir in the cheese, reduce heat to low and cook until melted.
6. Reserve about 1/2 cup starchy cooking liquid just before draining pasta, then drain, return to the pot and add sauce to the pasta.
7. Add the bacon in and toss, using starchy water to combine. Adjust the seasoning of pasta to taste, serve in shallow bowls topped with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Reviews

[Karen Elizabeth]

What a fabulous dish, we loved this, flavoursome, quickly made and yet deeply satisfying. I used a can of tomatoes, and thyme and chives from the garden. This for me is a total keeper, thank you Lori Mama!!!! Made for I Recommed tag game

[pammyowl]

We liked this, but i twas a tad dry. In re-reading the recipe I found I had forgotten to add the pasta water, duh! I added some cream and it was much better. Also, I had no white wine, so I used vodka. My herbs were sage, parsley and thyme. (no rosemary, sorry, Simon and Garfunkel!) Thanks for posting, made for Everyday's a Holiday, 2013

[JackieOhNo!]

This was a great new way to serve pasta and mix things up a bit! I think the key to this recipe is using a thick, meaty bacon, which I was lucky to have on hand. I am a big leek fan, but I would definitely stress to use only the white parts. Rather than use fresh tomatoes, I added a 14.5 oz. can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, which was ideal. The Boursin that I used was flavored with shallots and chives, so I used chives and parsley as my mixed herbs. While the Boursin and canned tomatoes made the sauce creamy enough, I found I had to thin it a bit with some of the pasta water. I sprinkled parmesan cheese on my cooked penne, then added the sauce to the pasta. It made an easy, quick-to-fix Friday night dinner. Thanks for sharing.