BTO Balsamic Pasta

Everyone has been asking for pasta recipes, plus I think we could all use a good comfort meal right about now. The BTO stands for bacon, tomato and onion. My mom used to always make a variation of this dish for me when I was little and I absolutely loved it. I never go out and buy the ingredients specifically to make this dish, but when I notice I have the ingredients in my fridge I get really excited to make it. It may seem a little weird to add balsamic glaze to pasta but I promise it is delicious! When making the recipe for two I only use ½ of the white onion so while I'm already cooking I go ahead and caramelize the other half to use in my Baked Eggs with Ham and Caramelized Onions!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

½ box of your favorite Pasta (used spaghetti this time but I LOVE angel hair)

1 pint of Cherry Tomatoes

½ White Onion

1 spoonful of Garlic

4 Bacon Slices (2 per person)

Olive Oil

Balsamic Glaze or Balsamic Vinegar (whichever you have on hand)

Parmesan or Mozzarella

Optional: Red Pepper Flakes and Basil

1. Heat a medium sized pan over medium to high heat. Dice bacon slices and add to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes until each and every piece is nice and crisp. I prefer to dice my bacon and then cook it, but you can also cook it whole and then crumble it.

2. Finely dice ½ of the white onion and chop the cherry tomatoes. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to directions.

3. Wipe out the same pan used for bacon, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and add onions and garlic. Season onions and garlic with salt and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes until they start to become tender. Add in tomatoes and continue to saute until tomatoes start to burst.

4. Once pasta is done cooking, transfer it directly to the pan with onions and tomatoes. Add another tbsp of olive oil and about 1 tbsp of balsamic glaze, maybe more and toss to combine.

5. Plate pasta and top with crumbled bacon and cheese. Add red pepper flakes, some basil and more olive oil and balsamic glaze if needed. Enjoy!