Rating: 4.5 stars
36 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 17
  • 4 star values: 12
  • 3 star values: 7
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

Orecchiette (little ears pasta) is a classic shape that's ideal for this chunky sauce. You can also substitute short pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni. If you can find mild-tasting cavolo nero (black kale), try it here.

Recipe by Cooking Light December 2010

Gallery

Credit: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Recipe Summary

total:
20 mins
Yield:
4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)
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Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Directions

Instructions Checklist
  • Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes or until almost tender. Add kale, and cook 2 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

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  • While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; crumble and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add pasta mixture, reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid, black pepper, and salt to pan; toss to combine. Top pasta mixture evenly with bacon and cheese; drizzle evenly with lemon juice.

Chef's Notes

MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.

Nutrition Facts

350 calories; fat 9.2g; saturated fat 3.1g; mono fat 3.4g; poly fat 1.3g; protein 14.7g; carbohydrates 53.7g; fiber 4.1g; cholesterol 12.4mg; iron 3.7mg; sodium 486mg; calcium 218mg.
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