Farfalle with vegetables, tomatoes, feta and bacon

This recipe was actually inspired by a really tasty looking recipe from Food and Wine. Being the mother of a two year can have its consequences while grocery shopping. I often leave the store without all of the items on my list, thus leaving me short when it comes to preparing the recipes I have chosen for the week. On the other hand, it also forces me to get creative which is what happened here. I originally planned to make Farfalle with Tomatoes and Green Vegetables, but without the spinach, ricotta salata and green tomatoes I had to improvise. You might be wondering why I added bacon to an otherwise vegetarian dish. Bacon tastes good! If you don't eat meat, you can just eliminate the bacon and cook your veggies with a tablespoon of olive or grapeseed oil. This makes a very easy and light dish...and yes, my 2 year old even ate a bowl of it without complaint! (Serves 4)

1/2 lb farfalle pasta
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
4 slices center cut, lean bacon trimmed and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or use a garlic press

Cook chooped bacon over medium heat until crisp. While bacon is cooking, bring large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta to cook for about 7 minutes. Remove the bacon w/ a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel. Using tongs to hold a crumpled paper towel, wipe up all but about 1 tsp of the bacon fat. Add sliced zucchini to pan and saute until almost tender, add garlic and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are just heated through. Remove from heat.
After pasta has cooked for 7 minutes, add asparagus and cook for one more minute. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain pasta. Return to pot and add zucchini mixture, green onions, and reserved pasta water to pot. Toss and place in serving dish, top with feta and bacon.