Bacon, Pesto, Feta and Chickpea Pasta Salad

Each week, I try to bring you a variety of recipes.....but these past few weeks, I've been in a love affair with pasta.....

I know, I know, its sad (or is it really????)

But, I've had pasta in all sorts of ways....I can't get enough of it in my life.

Creamy, cheesy, filling, hearty, lighter salads...basically comfort food to a "T", and lets face it, after a challenging month, I think I'm in need of MAJOR comfort!  And it doesn't hurt that it really fits into my "tight as Dick's hatband" budget..... :)

Here is my latest creation...basically it was a "lets see what I have in the pantry and fridge/freezer that I can combine in order to put dinner on the table".  I had had a hard week last week and really didn't want to prepare something mega complicated.  So, I came up with said pasta dish:

This pasta couldn't have been easier to fix.  Because, lets be honest, if it wasn't...a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios would have been quite alright for dinner.....

That could count for dinner too, right?????

Sure, I guess.

But, it wouldn't be nearly as fun or satisfying!

You need just 5 ingredients to make this pasta:

whole wheat spaghetti (you know, to be healthy and get more fiber...and to negate bacon calories!), pesto (jarred, I have about 1/2 of bottle left), a can of chickpeas, feta cheese, and chopped up bacon (again, I chop hunks off what I've frozen and then cook until its thawed and cooked through).

The idea is basic...cook your bacon and pasta (in separate pans of course), and set both aside when done, leaving the pasta in a large bowl and out on the counter, ready to mix.  Add drained chickpeas, chopped bacon, and feta cheese to the bowl of hot pasta.  Spoon in 1/2 jar pesto and mix it up.  Serve hot!  And it reheated beautifully.  Great for lunch leftovers the next day....enjoy!

Note:  I ate my last serving cold and it was delish cold too!  So, hot or cold you can't lose!

It was so flavorful and delish!

I mean, it was so fun to photograph....what do you think (be nice...I'm still an amateur photographer):

Enjoy!
See ya'll soon~
B

Bacon, Pesto, Feta, and Chickpea Pasta Salad
Inspired by Budget Bytes

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Ingredients:
1/2 box whole wheat spaghetti (it was a 13 oz box full, so 5.5 oz)
1/2 jar of pesto (I used Classico brand)
6 oz bacon (about 3-6 strips of bacon depending on how bacon-y you want)
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Ingredients:
1.  Cook pasta according to directions on box, using salt to flavor pasta.  Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
2.  In a separate small skillet, cook bacon until golden and crisp.  Drain on paper towels and crumble.  Set aside.
3.  Drain and rinse the chickpeas and mix with the pasta.  Stir in the pesto sauce and stir to combine.
4.  Sprinkle with feta and mix up.
5.  Spoon into bowls and serve.