Cheesy Bacon Penne Recipes

CHEESY BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted. Remove from the heat. , Drain pasta; add pasta and 1/3 cup bacon to cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. , Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

CHEDDAR BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Set aside. , In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 cup cheese until melted. , Drain pasta. Add pasta, bacon and onion mixture to the sauce; stir to coat. Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

SKILLET BAKED CHEESY BACON PENNE

Steps:

• Using kitchen shears, cut the bacon into small pieces (I just add it to the skillet as I go). Fry bacon on medium-high heat, stirring every so often, until it's crispy (10-15 minutes). You may need to turn the heat down to medium when it gets closer to being done so it doesn't splatter as much.
• Meanwhile, dice the onion.
• Once the bacon is cooked, remove it to a plate and set aside. Remove most of the bacon fat from the pan and leave about a tablespoon in there. Add the onion and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
• Meanwhile, grate your parmesan and mozzarella (if you didn't buy pre-grated ones).
• Pre-heat oven to 400F and move the rack close to the top of the oven.
• Add the garlic to the pan and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Give it a good stir and ensure that the yummy brown bits are scraped from the bottom of the pan. Note: if you're worried there's too much liquid, you can add the water gradually as the sauce reduces. My pan is pretty deep (two inches).
• Add the penne to the pan and increase heat to high. Once it starts to boil, decrease the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The pasta will be partially cooked at this point, and the sauce should have reduced considerably. If it's still very saucy, you can continue to cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in half the bacon, the parmesan cheese, and the sour cream. Add an even layer of the mozzarella and then sprinkle the remaining bacon pieces on top.
• Pop it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If desired, you can then broil it for another few minutes to get that delicious golden brown cheese you see in my photos. Make sure to watch it closely as it would be sad to burn it at this point.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!

BACON AND PARMESAN PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Place the chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the bacon is crisp and the onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• While the bacon and onion are cooking, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl, and stir in the olive oil to coat the pasta.
• Drain the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving a couple of tablespoons or to taste. Stir the cooked bacon mixture into the pasta, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Stir to mix in the cheese, and serve.

CHEESY SAUSAGE AND PENNE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, 1/2 tea-spoon Italian seasoning, the pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in Italian cheese blend and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese until melted.
• Gently stir pasta and sausage into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 3-quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

BACON CHEESEBURGER PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. , In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard drippings. Drain pasta; add to the skillet. Stir in the soup, water, beef and bacon; heat through. , Remove from the heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with barbecue sauce and mustard if desired.

ONE-POT CHEESY BACON RANCH PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Heat bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, flipping occasionally until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper; cook in hot bacon drippings over medium-high heat, stirring often, until chicken is golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
• Add shallot and garlic to drippings and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in water and milk; use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in pasta and ranch dressing mix. Bring to a boil and simmer for 6 minutes.
• Return chicken to the Dutch oven and add broccoli. Cook until pasta is tender and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in Cheddar cheese and sour cream to combine. Crumble cooked bacon over the top and serve hot.