BLTC Cavatini

"I took the advice of another reviewer and tossed the shredded lettuce in after everything in the skillet had been cooked and removed from the heat. I did throw in a good sized hunk of butter along wit..." See moreh the bacon grease but other than that, I didn't add much else. I think the only thing I'm missing is onion and garlic. Next time I make this, I'd like to try this with some sliced sweet onion and fresh minced garlic. Then I think it would be perfect."

"This was an enjoyable dish. My boyfriend and I agreed that it was a different palate of tastes than what we usually partake of. I will definitely make it again, though. I had to change it up because o..." See moref what I had on hand. I substituted turkey bacon for the real thing, cooked the romaine ( + some kale) in olive oil instead of bacon grease, and used rotini instead of shells. We also added some crushed red pepper which gave it some much needed liveliness. White wine would have really complimented it. "

"I enjoyed this quite a bit, but since Heidikin's review concerning cooked lettuce really hit home with me (I've had braised lettuce before and just can't get into it) I changed the process slightly - ..." See moreI did not saute the lettuce in the pan but rather tossed the cooked pasta and tomatoes with the lettuce before topping with cheese and bacon. The result is lettuce that may be slightly wilted, slightly warm, but still cool and crisp in places. I would have used fresh romas if I had them, but instead used a can of chopped tomatoes (drained) with garlic and basil. That added some flavor that I feel would have been necessary, so if you are going to use fresh tomatoes I would recommend adding some fresh basil, garlic, maybe some crushed red pepper to the pan. I found the canned tomatoes, even though I drained them, added a bit more "sauce", which I really enjoyed. I ended up with a very flavorful dish, and I'm pretty sure I'll be having it again many times, but I know my tastes and will stick to not cooking the lettuce down. Thanks for sharing, Monica! I like this one a lot!"