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Whoa baby, if you like a hearty belly-ful of pasta and flavor, use bacon AND whole wheat penne. You won’t be hungry for days. It is still June Gloom weather outside here and I haven’t lightened up my cooking yet for the next season. We have a lot of dried pasta variations in the pantry, plenty of jarred sauces and canned tomato options. The inspiration for a yummy topping is usually a combo of how hungry I am measured against what’s in the fridge. Different, different.
I’m in LA and it is rare to hear someone call Italian pasta sauce “gravy” around here. Good route to different, let’s start with a different word. I will take what I see in movies (Goodfellas, the all time best) to be authentic and chose Bacon Gravy. The addition of heavy whipping cream, YUM all around. Buon appetito!
Penne with Bacon Gravy
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12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
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1 small onion, diced
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1 clove garlic, minced
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6-8 slices center-cut bacon, diced
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1 (14.5 oz.) can low-salt petite diced tomatoes
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1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
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1/4 tsp. dried basil
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Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook bacon until mostly crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel, drain off all but 2 Tbsp. bacon grease. To the remaining bacon grease, add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and tender.
Add tomatoes, cook about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced a little. Add cream and pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook without boiling until sauce is well blended. Season with basil and pepper. Top cooked penne with sauce. Makes 4 servings.
