Bacon & Parmesan Pasta

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Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

In case you can't tell from the title, this is not a healthy recipe.  But it is oh, so delicious!  To make myself feel better about eating it, I added in some diced tomatoes and mushrooms.  That makes it healthier, right?  ; )

This is very easy to make. It only takes about 10 minutes if you cook the pasta and bacon at the same time.  Great comfort food!  I halved this recipe when I made it because J and I don't need to eat a pound of bacon and pasta for dinner. :)

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb rigatoni or penne
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c cream cheese
1 tomato, diced
5-6 button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain (reserving 1/2 c pasta water) and return to pot.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet, sprinkling it with red pepper flakes. Once done, allow to cool and roughly chop.  While cooling, drain all but about 1 T of bacon grease and cook mushrooms and tomatoes in bacon grease skillet until softened.

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat and whisk in the Parmesan cheese, eggs and pepper until well blended.

Add the white sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Then stir in the bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Add reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.