This Cheesy Baked Penne Pasta with Pancetta recipe is a modified version of my Southern Mac and Cheese, lightened-up made with penne pasta, a blend of cheeses, eggs, sour cream and diced pancetta (Italian bacon). It's a definite winner in our house!
I love just about anything with cheese. The pancetta adds excellent flavor to this dish. Since this recipe only uses about 4oz, you get the great flavor without the extra added fat. I served this as our main dish with steamed broccoli. A very kid-friendly meal.
How To Make Cheesy Baked Penne Pasta
Ingredients:
8oz uncooked penne pasta, cook according to package directions (I prefer Dreamfields, it's a low-glycemic, low-carb pasta that actually tastes good!)
2 eggs, beaten
4 oz finely diced pancetta (Italian bacon)
1 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
1 ½ cups 50% less fat Cabot's sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
⅓ cup light sour cream
1 ½ cups 2% organic milk
½ stick smart balance butter, melted
Dash ground mustard
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil macaroni according to package, drain and cool. Saute diced pancetta over medium heat until cooked through and fat is rendered (about 5 minutes or so).
Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, add drained pancetta and all other ingredients (reserving ¾ cup cheddar cheese for topping).
Toss with cooked macaroni and spread into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Cheesy Baked Penne Pasta with Pancetta
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked penne pasta cook according to package directions (I prefer Dreamfields, it's a low-glycemic, low-carb pasta that actually tastes good!)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 4 oz pancetta finely diced
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese freshly shredded
- 1 ½ cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup light sour cream
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- 4 tablespoon butter melted (or olive oil butter blend sticks)
- Dash ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil macaroni according to package, drain and cool.
- Saute diced pancetta over medium heat until cooked through and fat is rendered (about 5 minutes or so).
- Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add drained pancetta and all other ingredients (reserving ¾ cup cheddar cheese for topping).
- Toss with cooked macaroni and spread into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Nutrition
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debbie
ohhh this looks good gotta try it!thanks for posting it!debbie
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
That looks terrific Amee!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
That looks fantastic Amy!
Karyn
if it says cheese and pasta, I am all there. This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing @ Things That Make You Say Mmmmm!