Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

( I don't have any idea how to photograph food and make it look good, so please send your tips my way!)

I found this yummy recipe on a blog I was reading one day and decided to try it. It was delicious!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz fusilli (or rotelle) pasta
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces (save grease in pan)
4 medium yellow squash (quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more fore serving

Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Place skillet containing bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add squash and garlic to fat in skillet; season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until liquid is evaporated and squash is tender, 2-3 minutes more.

Add cream and cooked pasta to skillet; toss well, and cook until cream begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parmesan cheese and add enough reserved pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Top with reserved bacon and more cheese.

* I used the tri-color or garden rotini. I think it looks better that way with the different colors. I cheated and used the microwave bacon, so I didn't have the bacon grease. I just heated up a bit of olive oil to cook the squash in. On the blog, the girl mentioned that she added onion to hers as well. I didn't, but it would be good in the future. I also forgot to reserve my pasta water. That's what happens when you are trying to cook dinner while the baby is crying, and the 3 year old is running circles around the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Anyway, I just poured a bit of warm tap water in instead. It seemed to work just fine. I am sure it would have been more flavorful with the bacon grease and pasta water, but it was still yummy. Make sure to season the squash well. I had to add a bit of extra salt at the end when eating, so i am sure that if I had seasoned it a bit more, I wouldn't have had to.I also think adding chicken broth instead of the pasta water would make it quite tasty. For some reason I kept envisioning artichokes in the dish. It would probably be really good with them as well! I might have to re-invent my own version of this recipe for sure! The bacon is really what makes it taste good. This recipe probably only made 4 servings, or 2 if you are my husband and me. We both had two nice bowlfuls and finished it off. I am a bit sad there aren't any leftovers! This would be a fantastic use for all that squash in your garden...if you plant yellow squash! Anyway, I really liked this recipe, and will definitely add it to my favorites and make again. Next time I may have to double it!