This dish incorporates the best parts of a BLT without all those calories. Whole wheat pasta adds wholesome flavor, as well as extra fiber and protein.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces whole wheat fusilli pasta
- 3 strips bacon
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with juices
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 to 5 whole fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish, optional
- 1/2 small head escarole, torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, lay the bacon in a large ovenproof skillet and cook over medium heat until brown and slightly crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat, transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Break up the bacon into bite-size pieces.
- Return the skillet to medium heat, add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and juices, reserved pasta water, crushed red pepper, basil, escarole and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens and the escarole wilts, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Mix together the ricotta and Parmesan. Add the cooked pasta and mozzarella to the sauce and stir to thoroughly coat. Drop spoonfuls of the ricotta-Parmesan mixture on top. Sprinkle with the bacon pieces and bake until bubbly and the cheese melts, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with additional basil if using.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 377 calorie |
| Total Fat | 16 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 7.5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 37 milligrams |
| Sodium | 819 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 38 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 grams |
| Protein | 22 grams |
| Sugar | 5 grams |
Reviews
I very much enjoyed this. I added a bit more cheese – because ummm cheese. I found it to be a little runny and too much sauce. I think this would also be good as a cold pasta salad with fresh tomatoes.
Not much flavor if you follow the recipe and not saucy enough with the small amount of cheese. Pretty bland. It’s a good meal for picky eaters
Healthy Option that is Delicious!!
It wasn’t as saucy as I thought it should be but other then that it was really good.
Would make again – a good option for a lighter, whole grain pasta option. We used arugula instead of escarole and it turned out well.
Ignore the bad reviews. This is a fantastic idea! Just don’t prepare it exactly like the instructions. You can make this taste even better than it looks. Obviously this is not healthy like organic fresh pressed juice. But it is healthy for two reasons: the vegetable in it and using meat for a flavoring rather than in large amounts.
I use Trader Joe’s gluten-free rice and quinoa fusilli pasta. Everyone agreed it tasted just as good or better than wheat pasta. And don’t be afraid to salt the water when you cook the pasta. I used a whole heaping tablespoon of sea salt. Only a fraction of this gets absorbed by the pasta. It does not taste salty at all. And use thick smoked bacon. And use five or six pieces. I like to cook the bacon in a tray in my convection oven set to 400° for 30 minutes. No need to flip it or mess with it while it cooks. Then take a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease and put it in a skillet. Heat the skillet on medium high and finely mince about 8 to 10 large pieces of garlic. I like to use the already skinned garlic from the Asian store. So much easier and does not affect the taste. When the oil starts to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic. Only cook for about 20 seconds and have the canned tomatoes ready to dump in. You don’t want the garlic to fully cook. Once you can smell the garlic, it’s time to dump in the tomatoes. I used two 14.5 ounce cans of Great Value Italian style stewed tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano from Walmart. I also added about a half teaspoon of dried thyme and a tablespoon of dried basil and a half teaspoon of salt. I like this spicy but not horribly hot, so I add about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes also. I then use a knife or fork to cut the tomatoes down to a smaller size. I also add a large handful of spinach, finely chopped. I stir thoroughly and then let this simmer on medium low until the spinach is wilted. I cook the pasta for about 10 minutes. This is a little past al dente but for gluten-free pasta, this works better. Then I spread any remaining bacon grease on the bottom and sides of a large glass Pyrex oven casserole dish. Then I pour half of the tomato sauce into the baking dish and spread it around the bottom. And then I drain and add the pasta. Please do not add any salted water as this recipe says! That will just make everything soggy and horrible. At this point I add the mozzarella cut into small cubes. And then I add the rest of the tomato sauce. I did not have ricotta but I used a half cup of cream cheese. Just put small flat pieces like polka dots over the top of everything. And then I generously sprinkle Parmesan on that. And then I baked that in my convection oven at 450° for 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I spread the melting cream cheese over the top a bit. These changes do not make this dish any less healthy but I think you will find it tastes 100 times better.
I use Trader Joe’s gluten-free rice and quinoa fusilli pasta. Everyone agreed it tasted just as good or better than wheat pasta. And don’t be afraid to salt the water when you cook the pasta. I used a whole heaping tablespoon of sea salt. Only a fraction of this gets absorbed by the pasta. It does not taste salty at all. And use thick smoked bacon. And use five or six pieces. I like to cook the bacon in a tray in my convection oven set to 400° for 30 minutes. No need to flip it or mess with it while it cooks. Then take a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease and put it in a skillet. Heat the skillet on medium high and finely mince about 8 to 10 large pieces of garlic. I like to use the already skinned garlic from the Asian store. So much easier and does not affect the taste. When the oil starts to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic. Only cook for about 20 seconds and have the canned tomatoes ready to dump in. You don’t want the garlic to fully cook. Once you can smell the garlic, it’s time to dump in the tomatoes. I used two 14.5 ounce cans of Great Value Italian style stewed tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano from Walmart. I also added about a half teaspoon of dried thyme and a tablespoon of dried basil and a half teaspoon of salt. I like this spicy but not horribly hot, so I add about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes also. I then use a knife or fork to cut the tomatoes down to a smaller size. I also add a large handful of spinach, finely chopped. I stir thoroughly and then let this simmer on medium low until the spinach is wilted. I cook the pasta for about 10 minutes. This is a little past al dente but for gluten-free pasta, this works better. Then I spread any remaining bacon grease on the bottom and sides of a large glass Pyrex oven casserole dish. Then I pour half of the tomato sauce into the baking dish and spread it around the bottom. And then I drain and add the pasta. Please do not add any salted water as this recipe says! That will just make everything soggy and horrible. At this point I add the mozzarella cut into small cubes. And then I add the rest of the tomato sauce. I did not have ricotta but I used a half cup of cream cheese. Just put small flat pieces like polka dots over the top of everything. And then I generously sprinkle Parmesan on that. And then I baked that in my convection oven at 450° for 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I spread the melting cream cheese over the top a bit. These changes do not make this dish any less healthy but I think you will find it tastes 100 times better.
Not terrible but a tad boring. Not a ton of flavor.
if this is a BLT where’s the “L” part
Delicious
Eh? I didn’t /hate/ it.