Pasta with Tomato Bacon Sauce

The night before last I made potato kale soup with bacon and had half a package of thawed bacon (from Bostrom's Farm) left over that needed using. This is what I came up with. I used two quart-sized bags of tomatoes from the freezer, and they provided a lovely blast of summer flavor. I threw in a bunch of fresh parsley because I had recently harvested the last of it from the garden and had lots in the fridge. To easily remove the skins from the frozen tomatoes, run quickly under warm water and they slip off.

6 oz. bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 quart bags frozen tomatoes, skins removed, cut into chunks
1 15-oz can red beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley or 1/2-3/4 cup frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb linguine or other pasta

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off most of the bacon fat from the pot, leaving 1-2 teaspoons. Return the pot to the heat and add the onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes, then add the tomatoes. When it starts to look more like sauce, add the beans, salt, and pepper. Simmer until it reaches a nice consistency, or for as long as you have time for.

While the sauce simmers, heat a pot of water and cook the pasta.

When ready to serve, add the parsley to the sauce and stir so it wilts. Serve the sauce over the pasta.

Serves about 4.