Mushrooms, bacon and spinach in a lighter whole wheat pasta recipe that's ready in 30 minutes. Does it get any better than that? 217 calories and 6 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
As much as I enjoy meatless meals (I've been making this one over and over again), I can't fathom completely giving up meat. There's one word to explain this...bacon. Well okay, two words...bacon and sushi, preferably not together. They both make me go weak at the knees and I get as excited as a pre-teen girl at a One Direction concert whenever I am about to consume either one.
Are there such things as bacon or sushi groupies? There should be.
Despite my unconditional love for bacon, or maybe because of it, I don't eat it very often. So when I do, my taste buds explode and I am easily satisfied by a small amount. When I say "small", I mean significantly less than a pound. Restraint and moderation. There has to be some sort of award for that.
There are so many other good things in this whole wheat pasta recipe (mushrooms!) that I manage to resist burrowing through my plate of pasta looking for morsels of bacon. With the vitamins packed into onions, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes, this can definitely be considered a healthy meal. And it's one that can be pulled together in less than 30 minutes.
It has bacon AND it meets the Rachael Ray test? Score!
Other whole wheat pasta recipes:
Healthy Lasagne Recipe with Turkey, Pesto & Peppers
Roasted Tomato & Chicken Sausage Whole Wheat Pasta
Printable Recipe
Mushroom, Bacon & Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 13 ounce package whole wheat rotini pasta
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 12 ounces crimini mushroom sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup packed spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta (rotini) according to package directions. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is browned and crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet, drain on a piece of paper towel, crumble and set aside.
- Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onion is tender and the mushrooms are just starting to brown. Add the garlic and dried oregano, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta, spinach leaves and cooked bacon to the tomato mixture. Toss to coat the pasta and wilt the spinach.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Megan {Country Cleaver}
I love that bacon explosion after you haven't had it for a while.This looks perfect for spring with all the veggies!
cheri
Love this combination of ingredients! I could be a vegetarian except for the fact that I just love bacon so much, sounds strange, but it's the truth.
Mae
i love these recipes! so simple and light!
Annalise @ Completely Delicious
You are the queen of easy and healthy weeknight meals! Love this one!
Liz
I love this recipe. Thank you. Happy Easter!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Love this pasta dish! Gorgeous photos, Dara!
Christine from Cook the Story
It absolutely does NOT get better than bacon! This looks amazing!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness
To answer your first question...does it get any better than that?
No. Bacon, Spinach, Mushroom, Whole wheat? That is my language of love! Pinned!