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READY IN 25 mins

Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

Read Reviews (644)

"This is a quick light meal. Wilted spinach, bacon and tomatoes are tossed with penne pasta. Good for any season and will complement anything." — Jean Tagliere

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Types of Cooking Oil

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Original recipe makes 4 servings Change Servings

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 slices bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

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Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp. Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.
Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, and the bacon and tomato mixture.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 25 mins

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I always follow the recipe EXACTLY the first time I make it if I am planning on doing a "review." Otherwise, how can you trust the "stars" if everyone is rating it based on changing the recipe? This was extremely yummy. Very flavorful. Easy to make. DELICIOUS! I found none of the problems that other reviewers did.

—mama2006

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 23, 2005

first shot was ok but a little...lacking? second try i added one small onion, one small green pepper, dash or two of red pepper flakes, some basil, and didn't do the draining of pasta over spinich, it wilts just fine on it's own. Love the second version and will make it many times!

—Z06PDX

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879 Ratings

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Feb 11, 2008

Ok-I change some of the recipes I use from this site-I usually hate it when people do it, but I can't help myself! I used a whole pound of bacon-sauteed that until crispy- drained off most of the grease (left about 2Tbsp.) sauteed a small onion with the garilc- added some dried basil and cayenne pepper- and added the tomatoes (I used tomatoes with green chiles) while I cooked the pasta. Once the pasta was almost done, I added the spinach to the tomato mixture and then drained the pasta and added it to the tomatoes. Once I brought it to the table, I served it with parmesan cheese. YUM-O!! My husband said 4. I said 5 because I think it's great. This would be good at room temp as a buffet dish, I think it'll be great as leftovers and would be awesome with some grilled chicken and mushrooms. Great recipe with lots of room to personalize! Thanks for an awesome start to a great meal! Served with garlic bread and a green salad.

—COURTNEYGRIFF

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Aug 02, 2007

VERY GOOD! Just a couple upgrades...I used a pound of bacon and almost 2 pounds of pasta. I put some spinach in the skillet and some in the pasta drainer to test both ways. It's good both ways. The strainer/colander spinach was just bland and wilted. The skillet spinach absorbed bacon flavor, so I recommend the skillet spinach version. (Already putting in a pound of bacon, we're not exactly watching our figure here.) I added onions and garlic to the cooked/drained bacon. And at the end I added some cream to the skillet before dumping it over the pasta. This was really good.

—Server33

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Sep 07, 2007

I made this a second time and made some changes to make it taste better. I removed my bacon and added fresh tomatoes to the 1 tbsp garlic. I boiled that down and then added a box of spinach. 2 minutes later I added the bacon back in. I turned off the heat and added 1 cup of parmesan cheese. Everyone ate it this time. This was my first review. "Tasted better the second day. Added parmesan to flavor it up."

—Sandra C

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Sep 13, 2004

This recipe turned out great, with one fairly major change on my part. Mine is not a tomato-friendly household (neither of us can stand the things!) so I used a small jar of sliced roasted red peppers (drained) in place of the tomatoes. I sprinkled some crumbled Feta cheese over the top just before serving and it was a great, light meal. I also used this basic idea for a pasta side dish, except I used orzo in place of penne and I sliced the spinach chiffonnade-style to make the leaf size more suited to the pasta. Great, versatile recipe!

—KATERINAJB

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Jul 31, 2006

I knew this recipe was a winner when my husband exclaimed, "Wow! This tastes like restaurant food!" It tastes very good the next day, stays moist and reheats well. Thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe that I'll be making over and over again.

—treycamey

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Sep 20, 2007

Very good as is, however, in order to make it a less fattening, replace chicken broth for olive oil and bacon drippings and substitute bottled real bacon peices (not imitation) for fried bacon. Must splurge and top with parmesean cheese.

—beverly

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Nutrition

Calories
517 kcal
26%

Carbohydrates
73.8 g
24%

Cholesterol
15 mg
5%

Fat
14.8 g
23%

Fiber
6.6 g
27%

Protein
21 g
42%

Sodium
547 mg
22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 517
Calories from Fat: 133

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14.8g 23 %
Saturated Fat 3.3g 16 %
Cholesterol 15mg 5 %
Sodium 547mg 22 %
Potassium 788mg 22 %
Total Carbohydrates 73.8g 24 %
Dietary Fiber 6.6g 27 %
Protein 21g 42 %
Sugars 4.1g
Vitamin A 176 %
Vitamin C 55 %
Calcium 18 %
Iron 76 %
** Thiamin 60 %
** Niacin 77 %
** Vitamin B6 23 %
** Magnesium 40 %
** Folate 178 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.