Hodge Podge Pasta
Basics needed: pasta, sausage, bacon, tomatoes, garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley.
There's never an exact recipe when I improvise so here's the basic steps I followed if you would like to try this one yourself!
Boil water for pasta, salt generously, begin cooking pasta. In a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan with deep sides, cook 2 slices of chopped bacon to render fat out and remove pieces of bacon for later. Add sausage and cook, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Chop one shallot and add to pan to cook with sausage about halfway through cook time. Add about 3 cloves minced garlic. Stirring occasionally. At this time add a ladle or two of broth from your still cooking pasta pot. Next add in 2 or 3 chopped tomatoes. (I had a hodge podge of various sizes from the garden) Splash in a pour of balsamic vinegar here (about 2T). Stir in and allow tomatoes to cook down, keep temp low at this point and add more water as need be. (All in all I added in about 6 ladles.) Salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta to pan and toss to coat. Grate Parmesan cheese over top, sprinkle in chopped bacon and serve with fresh Italian parsley if you have some! It really gives it a pop of fresh that just makes all the difference. 💚 Let me know if you try it!
