Zesty Bacon Broccoli Bowtie Alfredo

 Bacon~ How do I love thee? Let me count thy ways! No, but, FOR REAL, I could seriously list a 100 reasons (or more) why and how I adore bacon. It may not be the healthiest meat on the planet, but it is definitely one of thee tastiest. You want to elevate a dish, just add bacon. It goes with just about anything and everything and is 99% likely to improve any dish it is in, on, or wrapped around! Just stating the facts here people. Cheeseburgers are good, but BACON cheeseburgers are great. Asparagus is good, but BACON wrapped asparagus is great. Eggs are good, but EGGS and BACON, you guessed it, GREATness! Bacon is the deliciously crisp wavy line between good and GREATNESS. No joke, one of my all time favorite comfort foods is the classic BLT. However, take away the bacon and you have just a lettuce, mayo and tomato sandwich. How lame is that??! Without the bacon... that sandwich would pretty much suck, the bacon makes it. Now that we've cleared that up, let's dish about the awesomeness of this easy bacon broccoli Alfredo dish! I should just call this dish BOMB DIGGITY BOW TIES PEEPS, cuz it is just that.

(I always save the napkins when I get fast food since they give you a bazillion every time, this comes in handy if you run  out of paper towels)  

I use this cheese in place of cream cheese ALL the time and it never lacks in flavor/no one ever knows it's a tad healthier ;)

• Whatcha' need: 
• 1 Box Bow Tie Pasta Noodles (uncooked)
• 1 lb Bacon cooked crisp (you could use turkey bacon if you prefer) 
• 2 cups frozen Broccoli
• 1 medium sized Onion (chopped)
• 2 cups Milk (I use 1%)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 8oz pack of Neufchatel or Low fat Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat than cream cheese, but they'll never know it)
• 1 &1/2 teaspoons Italian Blend Seasoning
• 1& 1/4 tsp each Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon Pepper (1/4 each for the bacon)
• 1 TBSP lemon Juice
• 2 &1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon each minced garlic, salt, and paprika 

Opt 2 teaspoons bacon grease/pan drippings

Start by cooking up your bacon either on the stove top or in the oven, however you prefer. I seasoned my bacon with a dash of paprika and a dash of lemon pepper and red pepper flakes. This will add a nice zing to the dish without it being super spicy. Also, the crispier the bacon, the better for this recipe, because when you add it to the gooey pasta it will maintain it's crunchy texture better (and because floppy bacon is just not too swell) I also find it much easier to save the bacon grease and drippings via stove top cooking method, and bacon grease is like cooking gold folks. A little bit of bacon grease packs a whole Lotta awesome flavor and can be used for gravies and all sorts of yummy dishes!

Thrifty Tip~ Always save excess napkins when you get fast food, they come in handy when you run out of paper towels  and they always give you much more than you need $

 Once the bacon is done, carefully remove it from the pan onto a paper towel lined plate, allow it to cool and set it aside. OF COURSE, taste test a piece or two, perks of being the cook a' ;) Carefully, poor all that lovely liquid bacon gold into a sturdy container with a lid (like an old, clean coffee container or glass Tupperware container of sorts, don't pour it into a flimsy plastic container because it will eat through it) to save for later uses. When the grease has cooled a few minutes, place 2 teaspoons plus the pan drippings into a large pot with the chopped onion. Heat on Medium for about 5-7 minutes or until onions are tender.

Bacon Gold my friends ^

Next, add the milk, Parmesan, lemon juice, water, broccoli and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a slight boil over medium low heat stirring occasionally.

Once the mixture starts to slightly bubble, add the noodles and cook about 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir frequently. 

While this is going down, coarsely chop or crumble the bacon.

When the noodles are done, quickly stir in the Neufchatel or low fat cream cheese until well-blended and then, fold in the crumbled bacon. Cook for about 5 more minutes stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat and allow that loveliness to cool slightly before sprinkling it with a little more Parmesan Cheese and devouring it! Serve up this Beaut with a small side salad, garlic bread or even solo, either way it is sure to be an easy, delicious dinner winner! Hugs and Chow for Now...

~BOMB DIGGITY BACON BROCCOLI BOW TIES~