Skillet Baked Cheesy Bacon Penne Recipes

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!

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
• In a medium skillet saute the chopped onion, and minced garlic. Take off heat and add chopped cooked bacon and set aside.
• To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the butter or margarine over low heat. Once melted, add the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and continue stirring until thickened. Stir in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
• Combine cooked pasta, sauteed vegetables and sauce. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Add the last cup of grated Cheddar cheese to top of mixture.
• Bake uncovered in preheated oven until cheese on top is melted and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

CHEESY BACON PASTA BAKE WITH BROCCOLI CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow-tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels, reserving bacon grease in the skillet. Let bacon cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes; crumble and set aside. Drain cooked pasta and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons bacon grease in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in the hot grease for 2 to 3 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon butter; continue cooking until sauce becomes thick and creamy, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in gouda cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix pasta into the cream sauce. Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl in a microwave for 20 seconds. Mix in panko bread crumbs and riced broccoli; stir very well to coat in butter. Spread mixture on top of pasta.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Continue to bake in the preheated oven until crumble is browned, about 5 minutes more.

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.