Name: Penne with Bacon and Mustard Greens Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb. penne or penne rigate pasta; 1/2 lb. bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces; 10 oz. (1 package) frozen mustard greens, thawed and drained.; 2 tbsp. tomato paste.; 1 onion, chopped fine.; 3 cloves garlic, minced.; 1/4 cup chicken stock; 1 good pinch Italian Seasoning; 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste; Salt and pepper to taste.

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From the lost recipe files: I found the pics for this hanging out in a folder from JUNE! Luckily, I still remember how I made the dish.

As Italian chefs the world over will tell you, the key behind a great pasta dish is that no one ingredient ever overloads any of the others, and that the pasta is truly supposed to be the star of the show. This is one dish that follows those guidelines, even with the strong flavors of bacon and greens tossed into the mix.

The secret with this or any other pasta dish is to make sure that you add just enough sauce to coat the pasta, not drown it. This may go against the American tradition of dumping a full three cups of sauce over the top of a quarter pound of noodles, then topping it with some form of meatball, but believe me, it’s worth the restraint.

Let’s revisit summer, shall we?

Penne with Bacon and Mustard Greens Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. penne or penne rigate pasta
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
10 oz. (1 package) frozen mustard greens, thawed and drained.
2 tbsp. tomato paste.
1 onion, chopped fine.
3 cloves garlic, minced.
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 good pinch Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

Cook Penne according to package directions. Drain well but do not rinse.
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium low heat until it is cooked through, but not crispy. Remove from grease and place on paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tbsp. bacon fat. Discard or store the rest.
Add olive oil to skillet and stir to combine with bacon fat. Add onion and garlic, stirring until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir through. Return bacon to pan and toss well. Add greens and stir until heated through. Add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning (will be a bit oily, that’s O.K.!)
Add pasta and toss to coat well. Grate approximately 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over pasta, toss well.
Serve hot with additional Parmesan on top if desired.
Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 554mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g

Links to other recipes like this:

Sizzling Herb Pasta with Bacon and White Beans, from Chez Megane
Cook the Book: Long Pasta with Bacon, Red Cabbage, Walnuts and Rosemary, from Serious Eats
Quick penne pasta toss… with bacon!, from Culinary in the Desert

8 Comments

Nicole on November 6, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Sounds really good! But hey, I’m a fan of almost anything with bacon! I tried mustard greens for the first time this year and I can now say I’m a huge fan of those, too! Darn it, now I’m craving pasta!

alexandra's kitchen on November 7, 2008 at 1:47 pm

that’s a great tip. it’s so easy to over do it with too many flavors and ingredients. This looks so good. I love mustard greens.

Tom on November 10, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Pasta is always good! For people like me who never has stock available, or refuse to use the artificial ones sold in supermarkets, sometimes using anchovies instead do the trick

Katie on January 3, 2009 at 12:45 pm

I really like pasta and can’t wait to try this dish. I will be back to visit often.

Chuck on January 22, 2009 at 4:21 pm

Oh, wow… I love this dish. Yellow penne…

Thank for recipes.

Dana on October 29, 2009 at 2:46 pm

We are a small farmers market located outside of New Orleans called The Camellia City Market. We recently received a link to your recipe from a very happy shopper. She wrote:

“Last week at the market I bought some mustard greens. I am not a southerner by birth, so I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I cooked up the whole bunch with some bacon, onions, garlic and chicken stock, but had a lot left over. I was looking for recipes and came across this absolutely delicious pasta dish.”

We have posted a link to your website as well as to this recipe on our blog. Thanks for the delicious recipe. I can’t wait to try with some fresh greens this weekend.

Ca.Me.Ke on May 17, 2010 at 8:49 pm

I received mustard greens in my farm co-op box this week and had never cooked them before. I stumbled upon this recipe when I was searching google and decided to give it a shot for dinner tonight. It was a hit with my guys! Mustard greens on their own are morbidly bitter, but when cooked with all the onion, garlic, and bacon, they become much milder in flavor. Great recipe! I will definitely make this again the next time I get mustard greens.