One of my favorite kinds of meal for my part-vegetarian, part-decidely-not-vegetarian family, is anything you can serve with a side of bacon. That, and something you can throw together very quickly on a weeknight.
Tonight’s dinner delivered. Pasta with corn, tomatoes and brie is the kind of dish you don’t need a recipe for. It’s also the kind of dish you can serve with a side of bacon to satisfy the meat-inclined.
• Pasta with Corn, Tomatoes, Brie & Maybe Bacon
Heat the oven to 400. Put a few strips of bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and bung them in the oven, you don’t have to wait for it to pre-heat. Then put a pot of water on to boil (two if you’re also going to have steamed broccoli with butter, like we did tonight).
Sautée approximately half a diced red-onion in a decent amount of olive oil till it’s soft. Then add 3 or so big handfuls of sweet frozen corn and cook a bit longer. Halve some grape tomatoes and throw those in once the corn is thawed. Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften but aren’t mushy, and off the heat.
Check on the bacon! If you want it crispy, you should maybe drain some of the fat (I don’t cook bacon often but this seemed like the right thing to do).
Cut some brie into cubes and put them in the freezer or fridge to firm up a bit. Then boil a half pound or so of pasta (and steam your broccoli). Grate some parmesan for sprinkling. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it back to the pot with the corn and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add the brie cubes and stir to combine.
Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and steamed, buttered broccoli or other green veg. And maybe bacon on the side.
