Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 12 oz bacon (cooked and crumbled, 1 TB bacon grease reserved)
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 12 oz grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
  • 1 lb frozen or fresh cheese tortellini
  • 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)

Instruction

  • Bring a large heavy pot of well-salted water to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet until hot. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook another minute, stirring gently. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Add tortellini (from frozen or fresh) to boiling water and cook until tender, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain out the rest.
  • Return cooked tortellini to the empty pot. Add the 1 TB bacon grease, cooked bacon, and tomato mixture. Add chopped romaine and freshly grated Parmesan. Add 1/4 tsp kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently to combine well. Add as much of the reserved pasta water as needed to adjust consistency as needed. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm or at room temp immediately with extra Parmesan.