BLT Pasta

Great recipe to take advantage of your summer tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta shapes, such as mini shells
12 slices center cut bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
12 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
5-6 oz. leafy greens, such as baby spinach
2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook just until al dente according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large nonstick over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and cook until the tomatoes are just slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1½ cups of the pasta water.  Return the drained pasta to the pot, along with the spinach, bacon, garlic-tomato mixture, 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and Parmesan. Stir well until evenly combined and until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add remaining reserved pasta water as needed. Serve warm with additional grated Parmesan.

Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe adapted slightly from Annie's Eats