Blue Cheese Pasta with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
This tasty blue cheese pasta is an easy one-dish dinner that combines pasta with caramelized onions, bacon, fresh tomatoes, spinach and tangy blue cheese.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 10 ounces linguine or spaghetti
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion halved and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 ounces fresh spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese about 3 ounces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Fry the bacon until crisp in a large skillet, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.
- Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the bacon to the pan. Stir in 2 tablespoons water and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nicely caramelized, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Note: You can add a little more water during cooking if you feel the onions are drying out.
- While the onions caramelize, add the pasta to the boiling water and start cooking according to package directions.
- Begin adding the spinach, a handful at a time, to the caramelized onions, waiting until each addition has wilted before adding more.
- Once the spinach has wilted, add the tomatoes, combine gently and continue cooking just long enough for them to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, and turn off the heat.
- Check the pasta for doneness and reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and add it to the onion mixture. Toss gently to combine, then add the reserved cooking water, a drizzle of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the blue cheese.
- Toss again, then plate individual servings and top each with a portion of the remaining blue cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 458 | Total Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 525mg | Carbohydrates: 63g | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Protein: 18g