Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

Everyone really liked this.  Except me.  It tasted good, but I couldn't help think about what was in it every single bite.  I got this from America's Test Kitchen.  It is an adult version of macaroni and cheese.  

4 slices bacon, chopped fine

1 small onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 lb penne pasta  (about 4 cups)

salt & pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded Italian 4-cheese blend.

1.  Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat over to 500 degrees.  Cook bacon, onion and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, cream, pasta and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

2.  Off heat, stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese blend.  Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes.

My notes:  chop the bacon very fine. I burned my onion waiting for my bacon to crisp, had I had the pieces chopped finer, that probably wouldn't have been a problem.

The recipe also called for Frozen peas.  I skipped that part because my one needing the pasta carbs would not have eaten it with the peas in it.