One-Pot Turkey Bacon Broccoli Pasta

Another school night, another day of making a quick dinner! This one, in particular, is quite quick and easy. That’s definitely something I’m always looking for. Between school lines, drop-off’s, pick-ups, practice, play-dates, appointments…. the list goes on and on… I’m always making dinner at odd hours of the day. So, when I find one that only takes 20 minutes to make, I jump on it!

This recipe is also one of those dishes that is very forgiving – don’t have one kind of pasta? That’s ok, use any kind! Don’t have broccoli? That’s ok! Use cauliflower! Don’t like turkey bacon? Use regular bacon (the original recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything used regular bacon)! The one thing I’d say you should use though is heavy cream – not regular cream. The only reason being it will take about twice as long to cook with the regular cream as opposed to the whipping cream. It’ll taste the same no matter which you use, it’s just timing.

If you make this, let me know how you like it in the comments below! Happy cooking!

One-Pot Turkey Bacon Broccoli Pasta

Servings: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 strips of turkey bacon, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dry rigatoni pasta, (or other small shape like penne)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, (and pepper to taste)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the turkey bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the garlic, and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the uncooked pasta, cream, chicken broth, salt (and pepper), and crushed red pepper. Stir. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes making sure to stir once in a while and keep noodles covered in liquid.
Add the broccoli to the pot and cook another 5-7 minutes or until the broccoli is soft. Continue cooking until sauce is a little thicker. It will be thin and then thicken towards the end. Stir in the Parmesan and reserved bacon.
Serve immediately and enjoy!