So this was a spur of the moment dinner. I wanted a basic bacon carbonara (bacon + pasta + cream sauce) but I didn't have enough bacon to carry all that cream, so I made up a new dish!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound of bacon cut into lardons
- 3-4 cups of Blasted Broccoli (see recipe on other page) (great way to use leftovers if you have any!)
- 2 cups of mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 4 cups of milk (fat free is actually better here because of the high water content)
- 1 cup of parmesean cheese - grated
- 2-3 cloves of garlic - diced or minced
- 1-2 Cups heavy whipping cream (or a small bottle of pre-made alfredo sauce to save you time)
- 1/2 pound or 2 inches diameter of fettucine (I used a chipotle pepper fettucine for an added layer of flavor or you can buy the small box of fresh fettucine from store)
- 2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper - you will need a lot more seasoning if you make the sauce from scratch
Directions:
The secret here is to use the milk to cook the pasta. Add the mix-ins (bacon, mushrooms, onion, and broccoli) at the very end to keep them crisp.
Start both of these parts at same time in different pots
Mix-Ins:
1) heat a large saute pan to just a hint over medium.
2) When hot, add the bacon lardons and cook until nicely browned. Remove bacon bits and put on paper towel.
3) grease should still be nice and hot, so carefully add chopped onions (watch for water spatter!)
4) when onions are flimsy, add mushrooms
5) when the mushrooms are mostly browned and looking tender, season with salt and pepper. Healthy sprinkle across the whole pan.
6) add garlic and cook 3 more minutes until garlic is light golden brown.
7) remove any excess liquid and take off heat.
Pasta:
1) add milk to a large sauce pot and put on med heat
2) when milk is bubbling, add pasta. There should be enough liquid to cover the pasta! If not add more milk.
3) add parsley to milk
4) turn heat up to med-high heat, stir often! Add a touch of bacon grease (2 tablespoons max) because fat makes everything better.
5) Slowly mix in half of the cheese - add handful, stir. Add another small bit and stir.
6) once pasta is flexible add whipping cream or alfredo sauce to keep pasta covered in liquid. Stir pasta!
7) keep stirring pasta and add another big handful of cheese. Should be just enough left for garnish at very end.
8) when the sauce is sauce-like (thickened and coating pasta), turn off heat and gently mix in the bacon, Blasted Broccoli, and mushroom/onion/garlic mixture.
- if the sauce reduces too much (pasta looks dry or not coated evenly), you can add a bit more whipping cream or alfredo sauce to bring the sauce back to life
9) salt and pepper to taste
Serve in a bowl with more cheese on top!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound of bacon cut into lardons
- 3-4 cups of Blasted Broccoli (see recipe on other page) (great way to use leftovers if you have any!)
- 2 cups of mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 4 cups of milk (fat free is actually better here because of the high water content)
- 1 cup of parmesean cheese - grated
- 2-3 cloves of garlic - diced or minced
- 1-2 Cups heavy whipping cream (or a small bottle of pre-made alfredo sauce to save you time)
- 1/2 pound or 2 inches diameter of fettucine (I used a chipotle pepper fettucine for an added layer of flavor or you can buy the small box of fresh fettucine from store)
- 2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper - you will need a lot more seasoning if you make the sauce from scratch
Directions:
The secret here is to use the milk to cook the pasta. Add the mix-ins (bacon, mushrooms, onion, and broccoli) at the very end to keep them crisp.
Start both of these parts at same time in different pots
Mix-Ins:
1) heat a large saute pan to just a hint over medium.
2) When hot, add the bacon lardons and cook until nicely browned. Remove bacon bits and put on paper towel.
3) grease should still be nice and hot, so carefully add chopped onions (watch for water spatter!)
4) when onions are flimsy, add mushrooms
5) when the mushrooms are mostly browned and looking tender, season with salt and pepper. Healthy sprinkle across the whole pan.
6) add garlic and cook 3 more minutes until garlic is light golden brown.
7) remove any excess liquid and take off heat.
Pasta:
1) add milk to a large sauce pot and put on med heat
2) when milk is bubbling, add pasta. There should be enough liquid to cover the pasta! If not add more milk.
3) add parsley to milk
4) turn heat up to med-high heat, stir often! Add a touch of bacon grease (2 tablespoons max) because fat makes everything better.
5) Slowly mix in half of the cheese - add handful, stir. Add another small bit and stir.
6) once pasta is flexible add whipping cream or alfredo sauce to keep pasta covered in liquid. Stir pasta!
7) keep stirring pasta and add another big handful of cheese. Should be just enough left for garnish at very end.
8) when the sauce is sauce-like (thickened and coating pasta), turn off heat and gently mix in the bacon, Blasted Broccoli, and mushroom/onion/garlic mixture.
- if the sauce reduces too much (pasta looks dry or not coated evenly), you can add a bit more whipping cream or alfredo sauce to bring the sauce back to life
9) salt and pepper to taste
Serve in a bowl with more cheese on top!
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