Make This Penne Pasta With Apples and Bacon For an Easy and Delicious Winter Meal

Who says cooked, warm apples are only good for dessert? Sautéing them with onions for a pasta dish is a surprising twist that perfectly brings together sweet and savory. It's a great way to combine comfort food and seasonal fresh fruit, and this cosy, warm dinner is a different take on the classic combination of pork with apple sauce.

Golden Delicious apples work best for this recipe (although you can use any kind), but keep an eye out for apples from Mount Rainier in your local store. They're worth it!

This pasta dish is simple and easy to make and has just three main components. First, there's the pasta itself, which cooks in boiling water on the stove. Second, the bacon is baked in the oven. And third, the chopped apples and onions go in a deep sauté pan.

Sautéing apples and onions — in bacon grease, no less — may not be the most obvious thing, but the sweet and savory combination of flavours is so satisfying. And the warm, salty apple just melts in your mouth. It's like a warm hug.

Once everything is prepped and the apples and onions are soft (after around 20 minutes on the stove), just toss everything together and enjoy a big bowl of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Penne With Apples and Bacon

Original Recipe by Michelle Chahine Sinno

Notes

This recipe is dairy-free.

Ingredients

1. 8 pieces thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
   1 pound penne pasta
   2 Golden Delicious apples
   1 yellow onion
   3/4 teaspoon salt
   1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
   Sprinkle nutmeg

Directions

1. Lay the bacon on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Place the tray in the oven while it's off, then turn it on to 400°F (again, do not preheat the oven). Set the timer for 22 minutes.
2. Get salted water boiling on the stove, and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
3. Wash and cube the apples, and peel and dice the onion.
4. When the bacon is ready, place the strips on a plate without draining. Carefully transfer all the bacon grease from the parchment paper to a deep sauté pan. Add the diced onion, and cook on medium heat for five minutes. Then add the apples and cook on medium-low for another 15 minutes.
5. Using scissors, cut the bacon into small strips.
6. Add the bacon pieces, pasta, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to the sautéed apples and onions. Toss well and serve.

Information

Category

Main Dishes

Yield

4 servings