Creamy Asparagus & Bacon Pasta Bake
with Parmesan & Lemon
You’re going to prep this creamy dreamy baby in a flash, then let the oven do the rest of the work. Penne pasta bubbles away in a velvety lemon-cream sauce along with crispy bacon, asparagus, onion, and garlic beneath a golden topping of Parmesan. You’ll whip it out of the oven (with mitts of course!), then it’s straight to the table to serve family style for an easy, filling, Alfredo-style crowd-pleaser that will win you all the heart eyes you could ever need!
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
4 ounce
Bacon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
6 ounce
Asparagus
1 unit
Onion
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings). • Place bacon* on a baking sheet; roast on top rack until crispy, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
• While pasta cooks, trim and discard woody bottom ends from asparagus; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and finely dice onion. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned and tender, 4-6 minutes. • Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds more.
• Return drained penne to empty pot; add cooked veggies and half the chopped bacon. • Add stock concentrate, sour cream, cream sauce base, juice from half the lemon, and a pinch of lemon zest. Stir to combine, adding splashes of reserved pasta cooking water as needed until everything is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. • Bake on top rack until cheese melts, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining chopped bacon.
• Let pasta bake rest for 5 minutes before serving. • Serve family style directly from baking dish with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
