Rigatoni with Winter Greens & Bacon
Rigatoni with Winter Greens & Bacon. Guys this pasta is seriously SO good. Like look at all that red and green Swiss chard surrounded with crispy applewood bacon. Topped with a crispy fried egg. And can we just talk about these rigatoni ?! I mean look at how big and perfect they are in this dish. This is kind of my dream pasta & it’s totally making my Wednesday a whole lot better!! Cheers to being halfway through the week and celebrating with this amazing pasta dish !!
So even though January is supposed to be the “healthy” eating month of the year, we feel like pasta is still totally necessary. I mean sometimes you just need a warm, hearty bowl of pasta to warm you up, you know?!
This one is definitely warming and hearty. It’s filled with all that vibrant Swiss chard and loads of crispy bacon. So it’s kind of healthy…right?! The greens balance out the bacon?! Well, lets just go with that anyway. ;)
I absolutely love a good Swiss chard pasta. For my 22nd birthday, I asked for one of our favorite Swiss chard pasta dishes that honestly we need to work on sharing with you guys. But anyway, I think you guys get the point that I really like Swiss chard pasta…enough to ask for it as my birthday dinner !!
This one may not be the one I had on my 22nd birthday, but it’s also very very good. It may actually be birthday dinner worthy this year if I’m being honest (even though my birthday is a bit of a ways off…oops). But swiss chard, bacon, AND a fried egg…I’m totally in !!
Ingredients
1/2 pound thick cut bacon; chopped
1 large shallot; sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 bunches Swiss chard red and green; leaves only & sliced into 2 inch pieces
1 pound rigatoni or paccheri
1/3 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
Add the shallot to the skillet with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned. About 3 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet to deglaze the pan. Add the Swiss chard, salt, and pepper. Turn the Swiss chard with tongs until wilted. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Drain saving 1 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta and bacon to the skillet with the Swiss chard. Add pasta water as needed to keep moist.
In another skillet, heat the olive oil until very hot. Add the four eggs. Cook until the whites are crispy and yolk is still runny. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the pasta and Swiss chard among four bowls. Top with the egg and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with extra fresh ground pepper.
