Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

So this year I set a goal to try a new recipe each week. I've really enjoyed seeking out new recipes and getting us away from the same old meals we're used to(I'm talking to you- spaghetti, tacos, BLT's). And while, on occassion I'm just to lazy to try a new recipe and we fill that meal slot with sandwiches, we've done pretty good.

Most of our recipes come from tastykitchen.com, ourbestbites.com, or thepioneerwoman.com and, with the exception of a stubborn pizza dough that refused to rise we've actually LOVED everything we've tried.

Joel loves bacon. I love pasta. This was meant to be. I hope you'll enjoy this yummy dish as much as we do!

Bacon and Parmesan Pasta
1 lb. chopped bacon
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. penne pasta
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. cream cheese
1/4-1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Fry chopped bacon in skillet. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes while frying. When done, place bacon on papertowl. Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente(still a bit firm). Place cream cheese and heavy cream in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until cream cheese is melted, and whick until smooth. Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese, eggs and pepper and whick until smooth.

Drain pasta(reserving 1 cup pasta water) and return to pot. Immediately add white sauce and toss to coat. Hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in bacon and add some of the reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Enjoy!

I found this recipe on tastykitchen.com and basically just doubled the sauce and chopped the bacon before frying instead of cooking, waiting for it to cool, then chopping.