A New Comfort Food Recipe

One of my favorite bloggers, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast has started a weekly food event called Presto Pasta Nights. This is my first submission to her event!

I've told you about Martha Green before; she's a restaurant and bakery owner in Redlands who gives us a daily recipe on the local NPR station. I was scrolling through her recipes, looking for some pasta dishes, and this one caught my eye. I liked how the pasta cooked in the sauce, instead of being boiled in advance. Another thing I found especially tasty was the sweetness of the peas.

Baked Four-Cheese Pasta
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves, garlic minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ lb penne or ziti
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 450˚. Cook bacon, onion and garlic in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta and salt; cover and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese and peas; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serves 4.

ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT

This is a long time in coming, and I should have done it MONTHS ago. You may have seen several posts last year about my helping Ruth test a few recipes for a cookbook. Remember when I wrote about Ruth's Best Chile Ever? YOU can get that top-secret recipe if you buy her cookbook - either an e-book or on CD. Just go to her blog, Once Upon a Feast, and order from there. Believe me, it's worth every penny!



food & drink