Roasted Tomato and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

My husband adores bacon. It seems like every time we go out to eat, he orders a bacon cheeseburger--probably because that's a meal I'd never make at home. But on occasion, I do use bacon in my cooking. I prefer to use a few slices to add flavor to a meal, instead of using bacon as one of the main ingredients in a recipe. This Roasted Tomato and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese gets it's wonderful flavor from a few slices of bacon and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Roasted Tomato and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4-6


2 cups of cavatappi or macaroni
2 strips of bacon
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
2 cups milk
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
Salt and pepper

1. In baking dish, combine tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes burst.
2. Meanwhile, saute bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel.
3. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than package recommends. Drain and set aside.
4. In sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for one minute. Add milk, salt, red pepper, and black pepper and continue whisking. Reduce heat to low and cook milk for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese.
5. In large bowl, combine pasta and cheese sauce. Pour in tomatoes and their juices. Crumble bacon and add to pasta.
6. Pour pasta back into baking dish used to cook tomatoes. Top with bread crumbs.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Bacon and Pea Ravioli

Bacon isn't my favorite food, but my husband loves it, so I cook with it on occasion. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian if the first step is omitted and the onions are cooked in olive oil instead of bacon grease.

Bacon and Pea Ravioli

Serves 2

2 strips of bacon
2 cups of frozen ravioli
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh chives

1. Saute 2 strips of bacon over medium heat until bacon is crispy.
2. Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel.
3. Meanwhile, bring pot of water to a boil and cook ravioli. 
4. Cook the onions over medium heat in the bacon grease until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste and water. Cook about 10 minutes.
6. Add half and half. Turn heat down to low and simmer about 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, crumble bacon into small pieces.
8. Add peas to tomato cream sauce and cook about 2 minutes more, or until peas are warm.
9. Mix ravioli with tomato cream sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon, and fresh chives.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I made this quiche for my husband's birthday using two of his favorite foods--bacon and spinach. I pre-made the quiche, refrigerated it, and then in the morning heated it up for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Since quiche is so heavy, I served this with a fruit salad of bananas, oranges, and strawberries.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche
Serves 8

3 strips of bacon
1 handful of fresh spinach
1/4 of a cup finely diced onion
4 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup half and half
6 eggs
1 pre-made pie crust

1. Cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the onion and cook the onion in the bacon fat.
2. Remove bacon and onion from pan and drain on a paper towel.
3. Place pre-made pie crust in pie pan. Crumble bacon and tear spinach into small pieces. Add bacon, spinach, and onion to pie.
4. Beat 6 eggs in a bowl. Add cheese and half and half.
5. Pour egg mixture over bacon and spinach.
6. Cook at 375 degrees about 40 minutes, or until quiche is set and slightly brown on top.