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I participated in Mom Blog Tour Winter Fancy Food Show (#MomBlogTourFF) on behalf of Wendy’s Bloggers. I received Academia Barilla and Bialetti products to facilitate my review, but my opinions and the recipe are my own.

Pasta. A favorite and a staple in many households. I’m sure you’ll agree that the sight and smell of a plate of pasta in a nice, tasty sauce is a welcome sight. It’s really unfortunate when pasta and the sauce don’t play as nicely together as they can. A delicious sauce should be on your noodles on its way into your belly, not sliding off onto your plate or back into the pot. It’s rude, uncalled for and unnecessary. Just in case this is happening to you, I’d like to introduce you to Academia Barilla.

Academia Barilla is a line of ultra-premium restaurant-quality pasta. Of 100% Italian Origin, the pasta is made with Italian Aureo durum wheat, a single high quality grain variety developed by Barilla. The pasta is extruded with 100% bronze dies, instead of more commonly used teflon. This gives the pasta a rough, homemade texture that allows sauces to cling to the pasta, delivering maximum flavor in every bite. The line consists of four of the most common Italian pasta cuts – spaghetti, linguine, penne rigate, and farfalle.

How do you cook awesome pasta? With awesome pots and pans of course.

Bialetti’s new Mineral DS Cookware is nothing short of impressive. You’ll know when you see the surface of this cookware that it’s different than the others. The surface has micro-divots that allow for even oil distribution.

This feature creates a better sear, and also improves the release with less contact between the pan and the food. This makes it suitable for both delicate foods like fish as well as “sturdier” foods like meat. And, it can be used on multiple surfaces, including gas, electric, glass and even induction cooktops!

Great pots are important too. Have you ever seen the Bialetti Pasta Pot? It’s so neat! You can cook your food and then drain it without using a strainer! All you do is turn the lid a little to one side and it locks into place, enabling you to turn the pot upside down and drain all of the liquid out.

I love not having to dig out and then later wash a strainer. The nonstick aluminum Pasta Pot was designed in an oval shape and with a 5-quart capacity in order to accommodate pieces of whole spaghetti and lasagna. And, the pot can be used for anything you like, including foods like corn on the cob, potatoes and other vegetables, as well as things like lobster. The pot is dishwasher safe too.

So, with a brand new Pasta Pot and set of Mineral DS cookware on the counter, my biggest challenge was what I wanted to make first. I decided to make Turkey Bacon Ranch Pasta. It combines some of the things on one of my favorite sandwiches with pasta. Sounds like heaven to me!

You can tell this dish is comfort food from the moment it goes onto your fork. The thick and creamy sauce stick to the pasta, allowing you to enjoy the flavor combination of the bacon, cheese and ranch on the turkey and pasta. It’s a tasty dish that’s really easy to put together. Here’s how I make it.

Turkey Bacon Ranch Pasta

Serves 6-8

Equipment needed

• Bialetti Pasta Pot
• Bialetti Mineral DS 12″ Saute Pan
• cooking spoon
• knife and cutting board
• measuring cup

Ingredients

• 1 lb Academia Barilla penne rigate
• 1/2 lb deli turkey breast, very thickly sliced (it’s about 4-6 slices for 1 lb of the turkey)
• 1x 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1x 1 oz packet ranch
• 1 cup real shredded bacon bits (I used Oscar Mayer)
• 2-4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 f.

Boil the penne. The Academia Barilla chef shared a tip with us on boiling pasta. For optimal cooking, he recommends using 1 gallon of water with 2 tbsp sea salt to make 1 pound of pasta. His reasoning is that if you use less it changes the water temperature which impacts the starch release, which changes the flavor of your pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, place the soup, cream cheese, milk and bacon into a large pan and heat over a low to medium flame.

Once the mixture has begun to cook, add the ranch dressing and the bacon to the pan.

Keep the mixture cooking, stirring frequently to remove the lumps while the soup dissolves.

This is also a good time to take a minute and cut the turkey into bite size chunks, approximately the length of the penne rigate that you used.

Place the lid on the pasta pot and drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the pan and stir well.

Add the turkey to the pan and stir well.

Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top of the pasta.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and things are starting to bubble.

Remove the pan from the oven and serve immediately.

Turkey Bacon Ranch Pasta

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 f. Boil the penne. While the pasta is cooking, place the soup, cream cheese, milk and bacon into a large pan and heat over a low to medium flame. Once the mixture has begun to cook, add the ranch dressing and the bacon to the pan. Keep the mixture cooking, stirring frequently to remove the lumps while the soup dissolves. This is also a good time to take a minute and cut the turkey into bite size chunks, approximately the length of the penne rigate that you used. Place the lid on the pasta pot and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan and stir well. Add the turkey to the pan and stir well. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top of the pasta. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and things are starting to bubble. Remove the pan from the oven and serve immediately.

Did you make this recipe and love it?

I'd love to see it! Please tag me @valmg on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for your support!

What dish would you like to make with Academia Barilla pasta in the Bialetti Pasta Pot and Mineral DS cookware?

CONNECT

Academia Barilla was the exclusive pasta of Mom Blog Tour Winter Fancy Food Show 2017. Bialetti was the exclusive cookware of Mom Blog Tour Winter Fancy Food Show 2017. You can learn more about the products I’ve mentioned on the Academia Barilla website, the Bialetti Mineral DS page and the Bialetti Pasta Pot page. You can also connect with Bialetti on social media, on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

WIN IT!

ONE winner will receive an assortment of Academia Barilla pasta and merchandise and Bialetti Pasta Pot and Mineral DS cookware.

HOW TO ENTER.

One winner per household, email address, or home address. If you have won this prize on another blog you are ineligible to win again. Winner must have a U.S. based address to receive the prize.

Enter using the Giveaway Tools widget below. The winner will be selected by the Giveaway Tools widget. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that you must complete the mandatory required entry, and that only comments answering the question asked will be eligible for entry. No PO Boxes. From Val’s Kitchen is not responsible for prize fulfillment or shipment of prizing. Good luck to everyone!