Home-made Sun-dried Tomato Fettuccine with Tomatoes, Bacon, and Arugula

This was the first time making this recipe and I thought it would go well with my home-made sun-dried tomato fettuccine. Turns out I was right! I also had been searching for ways to use Arugula from my garden, beside the obvious salad. I’ve never made this combination of ingredients before with pasta, but I thought it was quite good! For those of you who don’t like goat cheese I think it could be left out and will still taste great! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Grape tomatoes, cut in half, seeded, chopped (about 5 cups)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 thick bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
5 cups coarsely chopped fresh arugula (about 6 ounces)
1 lb Fresh Sun-dried Tomato Fettuccine
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese , crumbled
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Combine tomatoes and vinegar in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand until tomatoes release their juice, about 15 minutes.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels.

Add leeks to same skillet and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato mixture and cooked bacon. Simmer until tomatoes are heated through, about 4 minutes. Add arugula and simmer until wilted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, about 3 minutes. Drain.

Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add goat cheese, 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and tomato mixture. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.