Pasta Filled Peppers With Bacon

I love recipes that require just a few simple steps, that can be done simultaneously, and comes together quickly, beautifully, and deliciously in a very short time. It makes me feel like a real wizard in the kitchen.

This side dish is a perfect partner for a wonderful steak, because it won’t upstage the steak with it’s flavor and it won’t take up too much room in the belly either.

I made this as part of a first time dinner with a handsome Italian man once and he said this dish was his favorite part of the meal. Of course, I found out later that he didn’t eat much red meat or desserts, so this fabulous dish may have had an unfair advantage over the perfectly grilled steak and velvety chocolate mousse I served with it. The man didn’t like chocolate for Pete's sake! Absurd! But don’t let that fact discredit his good taste when it comes to this recipe.

Step One: Cut the Peppers in half from top to bottom. Clean out their insides, so no little white seeds remain. Then turn them belly side down in a pan and brush olive oil on their outer skin. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven and roast until soft. ( about 15-20 minutes..)

While those are roasting….

Grab yourself a glass of wine. Wine in hand......

Step Two: Place a pan of water on the stove and wait for it to boil.

While Waiting….

Step Three: In a bowl, drop in the basil, Parmesan, and crumbled bacon. Okay, I’ve made the assumption here that your bacon is already cooked. When I buy bacon, I cook it all up, then keep the slices in the freezer and pull them as I need them. If you have to cook your bacon right now, it’s gonna mess with my plan. It might keep you from reaching wizard status – but do what you gotta do.

Step Four: The pasta goes into the boiling water.

Step Five: The peppers come out of the oven and each one takes its proper place on a plate – belly up. Drain pasta. Add pasta to the bowl with basil, Parmesan, and bacon and toss. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper for bonus flavor. You could also add a touch of olive oil here to keep things loose, if you want to.

Step Six: Drop a large spoonful of pasta into each of the peppers letting the angel hair flow wildly. Don’t try to contain it – let it be free.

Step Seven: Refill wine glass and....

Bon Appetite’

You can limit the amount of pasta that each pepper holds if you’re trying to avoid a carbo coma.

Jen uses traditional bacon and I prefer turkey bacon. If I can’t get to the health food store, I use the Oscar Meyer brand from the regular grocery store.

If you have a crazy eye for detail and noticed that in the picture, I used spaghetti instead of angel hair pasta, I just want to clarify that I don’t have a problem following direction, I just chose to go a different way that day because I could – as can you!


Coming Soon... Pumpkin and Chocolate as Friends.....
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Pasta Filled Peppers With Bacon

2 Red or Yellow Peppers
Olive Oil
6 ounces Angel Hair Pasta
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
One Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped or One Tsp dried
3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated

1. Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and deseed.
2.Brush with olive oil and lay on baking sheet, skin up. Place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees until the peppers soften and the skins begin to blister and char a little. Approx. 15 minutes.
3. Cook pasta just until tender.
4. Drain pasta thoroughly, stir in bacon, parmesan, basil, salt, and pepper.
5. The peppers should now be roasted to perfection.
6. Pile spoonful of pasta mixture into each pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.