Bacon and Tomato Sauce

Doesn’t everything just taste better with bacon on it?
 
I don’t eat regular pasta anymore, preferring zoodles or spaghetti squash strands over wheat flour or even brown rice noodles.  But The Captain does like his pasta so I threw this together for lunch on Tuesday after we came home from the tennis court.

I was hungry, and hoped this might be quick. I already had some zoodles prepared and waiting in the fridge, so I put some water on to boil for The Captain’s linguine noodles while I made this sauce. It all came together in about 20 minutes.

I always keep some cooked, crumbled bacon in the freezer. It is just so handy to add a spoonful or two for a little flavor boost.  I also keep peeled garlic cloves in the fridge, too. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes on hand, use diced, or even fresh.. and you could also use your immersion/handheld blender to puree them if you like.

Bacon and Tomato Sauce
Makes 2 servings.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 3/4 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh or dried basil for garnish and flavor punch

1. Warm the olive oil in a skillet or saucepan over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add the garlic and onions and saute about till softenened but not browned, about 7 or 8 minutes.
3. Add the bacon and mix.
4. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and mix again. Allow to heat through.
5. Remove from heat and then ladle sauce over noodles of choice on serving plates. Garnish and season before serving.

Per serving, sauce only.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 132; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 10g; Fat 7g; Fibre 2g.

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A Way to Preserve Basil... Mix with Olive Oil and Freeze

One of the herbs I have really enjoyed growing on in our balcony container garden this year is basil...  I love to pick it and then snip it with scissors on top of salads, pasta, omelets and am even using it in sandwiches... but there has been so much of it that I just cannot keep up!

I know that the basil plant is an annual and won't winter here, so I came up with a way to preserve some.

I put about 2 cups of basil leaves into my food processor with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil... and processed them on HIGH till they were pulverized and completely blended with the oil.  I had to stop a couple of times, and push them down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

When I was happy with the mixture, I spooned it into 6 compartments of an icecube tray and popped it into the freezer.

Now I can use them in soups, sauces, and pasta dishes, and know that each cube is equal to a single Weight Watchers Points Plus Value, and a healthy serving of oil.

Into the food processor....

 

and then the ice cube trays.



To melt, just pop into a warm skillet.

 

Add other veggies if you like.

 

Or add to already cooking veggies.

 

 

Have you tried freezing herbs?