Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce

(Courtesy of juliasalbum.com)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken (breast or tenders)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
5 medium tomatoes, chopped in large cubes
1 c. cooked spinach
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
6 bacon strips, cooked, drained of fat and chopped
1 1/3 c. half and half
1 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
10 oz. penne pasta
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Directions:
In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil until hot.  Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute.  While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning.  Flip the chicken over, and cook on the over side for 1 minute on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes, until no longer pink in the center.  Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.

To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/3 of the chicken (cut into small strips) and half of the bacon.  Mix everything.

Add the half and half and bring to a boil.  Only after half and half starts to boil, add grated Parmesan cheese- immediately reduce to simmer and stir while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1-2 minutes.  Then, immediately remove from heat.  Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.

In the mean time, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook it according to directions.  Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.

Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce.  Add remaining half of the bacon.  Season with more salt if necessary.  Slice the remaining 2/3 of the chicken into thin strips.  To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and grated Parmesan cheese.

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