Cavatappi with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

A light, flavorful pasta toss, accented with crumbled bacon, is a quick and easy dinner solution for any night of the week. Use whatever veggies you have on hand to add to the colorful dish. Serve with a mixed greens salad.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in pan; add oil to drippings. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn and tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes burst, stirring occasionally. Add pasta to tomato mixture; toss. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese, basil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Mixed greens salad: Combine 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Toss with 6 cups mixed salad greens.

Nutritional Information

Calories:248

Fat:8.4g (sat 3.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:12.8g

Carbohydrate:32.6g

Fiber:4g

Cholesterol:15mg

Iron:1.7mg

Sodium:626mg

Calcium:203mg

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2009

**Wonderful recipe, very tasty, and once everything is chopped, it's very quick!