This warm pasta salad feature whole wheat penne, crispy bacon, roasted broccoli, and a homemade cauliflower alfredo sauce that is out of this world!
Ingredients
10oz.whole wheat penne pasta,dry
4cupsfresh broccoli florets(about 1 large head)
4sliceslow-sodium pork bacon
112-oz.jar roasted red peppers in water, thinly sliced
1 1/2cupsHealthy Cauliflower Alfredo
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread the broccoli in an even layer and dry roast for 15 minutes.
Set the cooked broccoli aside and save the foiled baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 400° F.
Place a cooling rack on top of the foil and lay the bacon strips on the rack, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until desired crispness.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup to ½ cup of the cooking water. Place the drained pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and add the cooked broccoli, red peppers, sauce and bacon. Stir to evenly combine.
If the sauce needs to be thinned at all, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the pan, and stir.