Garlic Butter Spaghetti with Roasted Romaine Salad

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Est. WW pts: 8

1 ½ cups cooked spaghetti

1 roma tomato

2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp blue cheese

3 slices bacon

4 large romaine leaves

¼ red onion

½ shallot

Balsamic vinegar

Prep:

1)      Mince garlic and shallot, place in a small bowl

2)      Dice red onion, set aside

3)      Dice roma tomato, remove the caviar and juice; leaving only the flesh and set aside

4)      Chop bacon into ½ inch slices and set aside

5)      Rinse romaine and place on a cookie sheet that has been greased with cooking spray

Cooking:

1)      Set oven at a high broil

2)      Place a saucepan on stove and set on medium heat. Add bacon before pan starts getting hot, this will allow some of the fat to render down

3)      When bacon starts to brown, add red onion. Continue to cook until onion has caramelized; remove from heat and place in a bowl.

4)      Wipe out saucepan used for bacon and place back on stovetop. Add ½ Tbsp butter, shallot and garlic. When garlic begins to brown add roma tomatoes.

5)      Place romaine in oven, watching for the outer edges to start browning

6)      Once the tomatoes have softened add remaining butter, season with salt and pepper and add pasta. Toss until everything integrates.

7)      Remove romaine from oven.

To plate:

1)      Place 2 romaine leaves to one side of the plate, picking up the edges in the center to form 2 boats.

2)      Sprinkle bacon mixture and drizzle the oil produced.

3)      Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of blue cheese and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

4)      Take about ½ of pasta mixture in between tongs, when starting to lower on plate, slightly turn the tongs to make the pasta swirl and lay on itself.

5)      Sprinkle pasta with ½ tsp parmesan cheese.

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good. ~ Alice May Brock