bacon alfredo

Oh yes. Imagine it. Good, cause we gonna make it.

I dreamed up this little dish in my apartment – yea, I know I’ve spoken about that little bachelorette pad before with fondness. It was a great place with lots of growing & memories. I was always cooking for 1, which was hard. Ya girl likes leftovers, but not for the next night’s dinner – does that make sense? I’ve always enjoyed cooking & enjoying the fruits of my labor….but after a long day & dealing with shitty people ((I feel like all jobs deal with shitty people?!)) I wanted to blow off some steam in the kitchen. Albeit, my kitchen was a galley kitchen with literally 2, 2-FT counter spaces – but I somehow made shit work!

ANYWAY.

For being a single lady back then, I kept my fridge & pantry pretty well stocked. I almost always had bacon, ((it was always on sale)) and always had milk or half & half for my coffee. Of course we all know, nearly everyone, despite their marital status always has some veggies dying a slow & agonizing death in their bottom drawer – for me that was always a bag spinach on its last leg. Parmesan Cheese & a frozen bag of tortellini pasta were staples as well. It was the life.

Ingredients

· 1 PKG spinach & ricotta tortellini (Trader Joe’s duh)

· 1 cup baby spinach, chopped

· 5 strips bacon, chopped

· 1 PKG Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned & sliced

· 1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, diced

· 1 ½ cups milk or half & half

· ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

· ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

· 3 cloves garlic, finely diced

· 2 -3 TBS all-purpose flour

· 1 TBS salted butter

· S+P, to taste

Instructions, 2

NOW IT IS TIME TO MAKE YOUR BACON GREASE INTO ALFREDO!

Slowly heat the remaining bacon grease on medium heat for a minute & add in the chopped garlic – stir that glorious concoction for a minute or two – don’t let your garlic burn!!! Lower the heat & stir constantly if it sizzles too quick or too hard.

((things should start to smell insanely delicious by now – buckle up, bitches!))

Slowly sprinkle in the flour, 1 TBS at a time – whisking all the while.

Once the flour has been absorbed by the bacon grease, dribble in the half & half while WHISKING furiously. Turn the heat down to low – this may take a few minutes.

The sauce should start to thicken up – season with pepper ((hold the salt for last, bacon grease is already salty so you don’t want to over-salt the sauce!))

Whisk in the ¼ cup of parmesan cheese – this will also season the sauce & help it thicken. ((note – this sauce does not need to be ULTRA thick. So chill if it’s a little loose – you need to be able to pour its lusciousness over the entire casserole))

Give your sauce a taste – season accordingly if you think if needs more salt & pepper.

NOW IT IS TIME TO MAKE A BACON ALFREDO WATERFALL.

Pour the alfredo over all the contents of the casserole dish – leaving the spinach out until the last minute. The goal is for the spinach to wilt in the oven, but not to get slimy under the heat of the sauce – ya heard?

Mix the amazing contents with a wooden spoon & try not to be too rough with the tortellini – you don’t want that goodness busting out everywhere. Try to keep everyone intact.

On one of the last few mixes, add in the chopped spinach & give a final turn.

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese & place into the oven, covered with tin foil for 20 minutes. Remove the tin foil for the last 10 minutes of baking for the cheese to brown a bit & bubble up.

TA-DA. it will smell & look amazing. Hot cheesy goodness with hidden gems throughout! Enjoy the fruits of your labor & brag about the way you made a scratch alfredo sauce – NOT the one everyone knows ;)