Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula

Mmm....bacon, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula. Do I really need to say more? I don't think so.

I loved this and Curtis thought it was pretty good. J ate his without complaint. M had to be convinced, but she ate around the green stuff when pushed.

I did tweak this recipe a little. I used half as much pasta as the recipe called for, but the same amount of sauce. I liked it like that. If you want a less rich meal, either also half the sauce or use a whole pound of pasta. The recipe is for my version.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula
adapted from Gourmet

2 slices of thick bacon (or 1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2/3 c heavy cream
1/2 c drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 oz baby arugula, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 T fresh basil, chopped

Cook bacon in a 12" heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning as needed, until browned and crisped. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces when cool enough to handle. Pour off all but 2 T of fat from the skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook penne in a pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 c cooking water and drain pasta.

To serve, combine pasta, arugula mixture, and parmesan in a large pasta bowl. Thin with remaining pasta water, if necessary. Stir in basil.