Bacon Parmesan Spaghetti with Asparagus, Corn and Tomatoes

When I saw this recipe on Picky Palate, I had to save it for a later date. It looks simple and delicious. We have a plethora of tomatoes to use, too, so it was high on my “to make” list.

I altered the recipe a little bit. I didn’t have fresh corn on the cob, so I used canned corn.

I also didn’t have fresh asparagus, but I had a can of asparagus spears I used instead. The bacon was already made, so that made the recipe even easier.

Bacon Parmesan Spaghetti with Asparagus, Corn and Heirloom Tomatoes

1 pound bacon

3 cups baby heirloom tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound thin spaghetti noodles

1 cup finely diced white onion

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels

2 1/2 cups asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cook bacon in large Dutch oven or pot until crisped and brown. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain oil. Once cooled, crumble into small pieces. Reserve bacon drippings. Place heirloom tomatoes onto a medium baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until juices start flowing and skin splits.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

4. Place 2 tablespoons bacon drippings into a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add corn and asparagus, cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, bacon, tomatoes and Parmesan Cheese. Toss gently. Drizzle in 2 additional tablespoons of bacon drippings. Season according to your liking with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm.

Makes 8 servings

It’s a little higher in calories than I’d normally like in a recipe but that is because of the pasta. It makes me less likely to eat the leftovers for lunch (which is my preference) and instead eat it as a second dinner another night of the week.

I started by roasting my little tomatoes in the oven. Instead of olive oil I used Grapeseed Oil. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and put in them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

They were clearly done:

While the tomatoes were roasting, I chopped up the onions and Michael cooked them in the skillet with the corn and asparagus. We realized immediately that fresh asparagus would have been MUCH better. The canned was kind of gross and disintegrated almost immediately in the skillet.

The pasta was done. We used a mixture of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and whole wheat fettuccine noodles because we didn’t have enough of either. 🙂

I topped the pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese and used a little bit of the oil from the roasted tomatoes to mix into the pasta.

The verdict: I loved the dish. The bacon and tomatoes were excellent together and the corn added a little bit of sweetness to it that was nice. The flavors all worked well together. I was unhappy with the asparagus, but that was my fault using canned.

I would definitely make this dish again if I had a lot of guests over. It makes a lot of food that is filling. Since Michael and I don’t eat a lot of pasta anymore we’re not likely to make it for ourselves much. I’d also use a little more bacon too. This recipe could be altered in lots of creative ways–simply using whatever veggies you have on hand would work well. This would be a great dish to carb-load on the day before a race!