Pasta with Chicken and Bacon-new recipe!

I tried to write this last night, but once again I was “locked” out of my blog by some weird glitch. It seems to happen to my blog and my email. Very strange. Yesterday afternoon I was dealing with some anxieties over a few ants I found in my house and another kind of insect that was all over my front porch. I am not a bug person at all. Totally grosses me out! So for dinner, it was either go out or deal with my anxieties and cook at home. I cooked at home. My bank account and my tummy thanks me.

It was getting late so I googled “quick pasta recipes” and found a great recipe at FamilyFun.com . I did modify the original because I needed to use up some chicken breasts that were in the fridge.  Because I added the chicken, it took a little more time but within 45 min. or so, I had a one dish meal on the table and a nice glass of Chianti to go with my food. I know chicken calls for white wine, but I was in the mood for a red.

Pasta with Chicken and Bacon

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 slices of bacon

1 onion or shallot, diced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

10 ounces frozen peas, partially thawed

8 ounces medium-sized pasta such as penne, radiatore, shells, bow ties etc.

8 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried

salt and pepper

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook noodles 5-6 minutes and drain. Put into a large mixing bowl.

2. Heat olive oil over med-high heat and add onions. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Pour onions and oil into the pasta and stir. Chop up the bacon and add to the pan. Cook until crisp, drain on paper towel-lined plate and add to pasta. Add chicken to the pan and cook until white, all pink is gone. Mix into pasta.

3.  Add peas, ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, herbs, salt and pepper(to taste), chicken broth and stir all together.

4. Put into an oiled 9 X 13 casserole. Top with a light coating of seasoned bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and dish is heated through.

This dish was a hit here in my home except for my son Caleb who hates onions. Once he realized they were in there, he stopped eating it. Oh well, his loss. I only cook one meal. Sometimes I leave out onions because he doesn’t like them but thee are times I really want to add them in and I do. Since he is a teenager, he is able to fix his own food.

Oh yeah, someone felt there wasn’t enough bacon in the dish and he added more! hehehe