Bacon and Mushroom Penne

I'm always surprised at how good simple pasta dishes can be. This one's a lighter version of the creamy bacon pasta I usually make. It's easy, you can make it in under 15 minutes and it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser (unless there is someone in the crowd who is not a mushroom lover- in that case you can substitute the mushrooms for artichoke, broccoli or chicken for example, or just bacon).

BACON & MUSHROOM PENNE
Ingredients:

• 1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 lb of penne pasta
• 4-6 strips of bacon
• 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs of reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbs of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of half and half
• salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

How to:

1. Boil your penne pasta.
2. While the pasta is boiling, drizzle a pan with olive oil and toss the minced garlic in, sautee it at medium heat.
3. Once the garlic is golden/ light brown, add the sliced mushrooms. If you want them to cook faster, cover the pan with a lid, but make sure to stir ocassionally.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, cook some bacon in the microwave (4-6 slices). I use this awesome Makin Bacon rack, you can buy it at Walmart for under $8. Microwaving bacon is the best way to make it less greasy, otherwise this dish comes out too oily.
5. Go back to the mushrooms and add the 2 Tbs of chicken broth to the pan, mix it around with the mushrooms. This makes a bit of sauce.
6. Add the pasta to the mushroom pan, mix around. Then add half and half a bit at a time. Depending on how creamy you want the pasta, you might want to add less or more than the 1/4 cup. You can see from the picture I only added a bit, I wanted them lighter.
7. Cut up the crunchy bacon with kitchen sears so you get biggish pieces, and toss them in the pasta. Let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring so the cream thickens a bit.
8. Remove from the stove, add the shredded parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and serve!