Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to make.
Any of the commercially available preshredded
Italian cheese blends, from 3-cheese to 7-cheese, can be used here. This recipe
does not call for meat, but I almost always throw in about a pound of cooked
chicken before baking (I either use the meat off of a cooked rotisserie chicken
from Costco or I use the pre-cooked grilled chicken from Costco).
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 pound penne or ziti (about 4 cups)
salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just use the
stuff by Kraft in the green bottle)
1 cup frozen peas
pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position
and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in large nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add
broth, cream, pasta, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover and bring to boil. Once
boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta
is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and peas and
season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle
with shredded Italian cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown,
about 5 minutes. Serve.
For a printable version of this recipe, go here.