Sunday, September 30, 2007

Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

After spending the day in Santa Barbara yesterday, I came home at dinner time and had no plan for what to cook. Of course, I was missing ingredients for all of the recipes that came to mind. So, I had to get creative with what we had and after looking at several different recipes for inspiration, I came up with this one. You can play with the amounts of cheese, broccoli & bacon to suit your tastes. Next time, I might add a little bit more gorgonzola but overall I thought it tasted pretty good.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 pound Barilla Plus Rotini Pasta (or whatever type you prefer)
1 - 2 cups cooked broccoli florets
2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup half-and-half
4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Fry bacon to your liking. It's best when it is neither rubbery nor burnt. Alternatively, you can buy the pre-cooked bacon in the store. Cool, chop & set aside.

2) Cook pasta according to directions on package. Either cook broccoli in the microwave or you can throw it in with the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking time.

3) As the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds. Don't let the garlic burn. Add the half-and-half and gorgonzola cheese. Stir constantly until cheese is melted. Add black pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

4) Drain pasta and shake off excess water. Add pasta to sauce and stir well to combine. Add cooked broccoli and bacon. Stir well to coat the pasta, meat and broccoli. Enjoy!

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