Beef and Bacon Pasta

I just spent 6 hours grading student work and planning vocabulary lessons. Somewhere in the middle I made dinner too...

This weather is really throwing me off. Usually I plan lots of comfort food and cold-day meals for November. Granted, I'll eat a baked pasta dish anytime, but it's a great meal for a cold night. Tonight was not a cold night. It was in the low 60s today...oh well.

I knew if I was going to make a pasta dish with red sauce (which Dan doesn't tend to prefer), that it needed to be packed with some meaty goodness. I sort of overlooked the recipe a bit and added more pasta, beef and bacon than called for. In this case, that wasn't a bad thing, it was a perfect thing. We also have plenty of leftovers, which is great since Dan has class tomorrow so I don't have to cook again! Though I will because I have something planned....

The sauce in this was great, but I would maybe do a tad bit less of the balsamic vinegar. I know, I know. I know that anyone who has followed this blog has read about my love for balsamic vinegar. I would drink it if I could. But it just really stood out in the sauce rather than blending in nicely with everything else. The sauce had a nice sweetness to it, which I enjoy in a red sauce, especially when paired with some salty bacon.

Beef and Bacon Pasta
ever so slightly adapted from Goodies a Volonte

1 box rotini
1 can crushed tomatoes
5 garlic cloves, minced or mashed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 strips of bacon roughly chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups mozzarella and cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cook pasta according to package for al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Mix the tomatoes, vinegar, worcestershire, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, peppers and oil together in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Heat a deep skillet to medium-high heat. Add a little bit of oil and cook onions until slightly golden and soft. Remove onions and set aside.
5. Add bacon to pan and cook until slightly crispy. Add beef and cook until browned and juices are mostly evaporated.
6. Return onion to pan and add sauce. Mix everything together and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add pasta and toss in the sauce.
8. Put pasta mix into a large baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes until cheese is good and melted.

Most of my casserole dishes are currently in use, so you will notice in the pictures I used a foil pan I had.