Easy Creamy Bacon, Asparagus, Tomato Pasta with Boursin (or Cream Cheese)

Name: Easy Creamy Bacon, Asparagus, Tomato Pasta with Boursin (or Cream Cheese)
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz pasta of choice, boiled al dente and drained (I used spaghetti this time); olive oil; 5 slices bacon, cut into 1/3" pieces; 1/2 pound asparagus, woody part snapped off, and cut into 1.5-inch pieces; 1 pint fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved OR 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley OR 1 to 2 Tablespoons dried; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; 3-4 Tablespoons Boursin (any flavor) or cream cheese; salt

x @cook_5886383

Gournay (which is what Boursin is), Neufchatel, or other cream cheese type cheeses are a super easy way to make your pasta dish creamy with practically no effort. Just add a dab at the end of the cooking process, let the heat melt it, stir it in, and there you go.

This was a fridge cleanout dinner using odds and ends I wanted to clear out before shopping - the last of the bacon, the last of a bunch of asparagus, some wilting parsley, and a third of a packet of Shallot & Chive Boursin - and it was tasty!

You can start cooking the pasta and prep the sauce while that's going. I usually use the cold water start method, and the pasta is just about ready to go when the sauce is done, but if you do the traditional pasta boil, you can always turn the heat off the sauce when it's done until your pasta's ready. :)

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Ingredients

3 to 4 servings

8 ozpasta of choice, boiled al dente and drained (I used spaghetti this time)
olive oil
5 slicesbacon, cut into 1/3" pieces
1/2 poundasparagus, woody part snapped off, and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
1 pintfresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved OR 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cupchopped fresh parsley OR 1 to 2 Tablespoons dried
3 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoonlemon juice
3-4 TablespoonsBoursin (any flavor) or cream cheese
salt

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Steps

1

In a large frying pan, bring 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil up to medium heat, add bacon to the pan, and render the bacon to your desired doneness. I like to render it about a third and still have some pork fat left on the bacon pieces.
2

Turn heat to high, add asparagus, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3

Add another 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, add tomatoes, and cook the tomatoes for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't fear the high heat - the liquid and volume of the asparagus and tomatoes will keep things from burning.
4

Add garlic and three-quarters of the parsley, stir to incorporate, and cook until garlic is translucent.
5

Add pasta, lemon juice, and cheese, and stir or toss everything together. Give the cheese a minute or so to melt, stirring a couple of times in the process.
At this point, you'll want to salt to taste. I used about 1/2 teaspoon. Didn't need much because of the salt from the bacon and the cheese.
6

When the cheese is melted, give everything another gentle toss to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated, sprinkle the rest of the parsley on top, and enjoy! :)