Tomato Bacon Pasta
Rich, creamy mascarpone fragrant with crispy bacon, savory sun-dried tomatoes, and aromatic fresh basil is tossed with a curly cavatappi and topped with sliced, grilled chicken breasts.
Ingredients
- 1 lb cavatappi or other shaped pasta 454g
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb chicken breasts (454g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning or a mix of dried basil, oregano, and marjoram
- 1 small onion chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and finely chopped (7oz, 200g)
- 1 cup chicken broth 8oz, 227g
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese 227g
- 5 oz bacon cooked until crisp and finely chopped (142g)
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2.2oz, 62g
- 1 ½ cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves 1.5oz, 43g, from 2 little plants in the supermarket
- salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water to thin the sauce. Toss pasta with butter. Set aside and keep warm. (I wrap mine in a blanket)
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Grill, pan grill, or sauté in olive oil until done. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning. Let rest until ready to serve, then slice.
For the sauce:
- Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened and golden.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add mascarpone, chicken broth, and bacon. Stir until blended and mixture becomes hot and bubbly.
- Stir in parmesan cheese until melted. Turn off heat.
- Stir in basil.
- When ready to serve, combine buttered pasta and sauce adding reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as necessary. Toss in sliced chicken.
Notes
- Toss the pasta with the sauce immediately before serving.
- If you make the pasta an hour or so ahead of time, keep the pasta and sauce separate. I have a blanket that I keep in the kitchen for keeping food warm. Just wrap the pan in the blanket and it will stay warm a couple of hours.
- Gently reheat the sauce without boiling and combine with warm pasta, adding reserved pasta water as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 847kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 40gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 786mgPotassium: 998mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1487IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 312mgIron: 3mg
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