Some of my best recipes are accidents that come together because I was searching my pantry for something I could quickly throw together. This usually happens when I forget to thaw something, or to adequately plan for my week. Or, when the fresh fixins’ are running low on a Friday night. This is one of those Friday night versions recipes that turned out to be really tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces of penne pasta
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
4 strips thick cut bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons diced jalapeno (optional)
1 15.5 ounce jar of your favorite queso dip (I used On the Border Monterey Jack Queso)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil the 4 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the penne pasta until just al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet on medium high and add the bacon. Let it begin to soften and render. Add the onion and green pepper. When the onion and green pepper start to get soft, add the garlic and jalapeno. Let the mixture cook together until the bacon has browned and the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

When pasta is done, drain and return the pasta to the pot. Add in the bacon and vegetable mixture. Microwave the queso dip for about 90 seconds. Add the queso dip to the pasta and toss together. Serve immediately.

Recipe note: This is an easy meatless meal. Just leave out the bacon.