Bacon Tortellini Alfredo

I found this recipe via Pinterest, and, OH, it was GOOD!

Below is the version I modified from the original,

1 lb of frozen tortellini
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil (I omitted accidentally.)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (I omitted accidentally.)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Heat 3 tablespoons of bacon grease and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour. Warm thoroughly. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk. Stir in the garlic, salt, black pepper, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, spinach and half of each kind of cheese. While the sauce is simmering, cook tortellini until it is warmed through. Then, add the tortellini to your sauce mixture. Pour in to a pan (I used 9x13, and it was plenty big.) and top with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes! Enjoy!

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