Everything Tastes Better With Bacon!

Because I am a bit selective about which veggies I'll eat, incorporating enough vegetables into my family's diet has been quite a challenge. As such, I have been on a mission to try new vegetables and experiment with different ways of cooking them. Tonight's new dish was a beans & greens pasta inspired by a recipe I saw on the Rachael Ray Show. The star of the dish is the leafy green escarole, which I've read is high in folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin K, and fiber. Having tried and hated collard greens, I was a little nervous about trying to cook escarole, but it's actually very different-- much milder and less bitter in flavor.

Beans & Greens Pasta

Ingredients:
Large head of escarole
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/2 lb. or so of thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 box (roughly a pound) of linguine or fettucine
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cloves (about 1 1/2 tsp.) minced garlic
1 can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
about 3/4 c. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

Prep:
1. Prep the escarole and give it a rough chop.
2. Zest the lemon.
3. Cut the bacon up into small pieces.
4. Boil pasta in salted water. Cook to al dente. Reserve 1 c. of the water and then drain the pasta.

Directions:
1. Coat a large skillet with nonstick spray and toast the pine nuts. Remove and set aside.
2. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and heat on medium. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon to paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.
3. Turn heat to low. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic to the bacon drippings that remain in the skillet. Cook until the garlic turns golden (doesn't take long!), then add the escarole to the skillet. Toss until wilted.
4. Add the cannellini beans and the water reserved from cooking the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the pasta, lemon zest, and cheese; toss.
6. Plate the pasta and top with toasted pine nuts and bacon. Serve with breadsticks if desired.

---

Unfortunately, I cannot share Aaron's feedback on the dish because he was stuck in surgery when I made it. However, I thought it was quite delicious and will be adding it to my repertoire.