Herb Pasta with Mushrooms and Bacon is fantastic tasting and so easy to put together dish.
My husband says that every thing is better with bacon, especially when paired with mushrooms! This dish is rich, flavorful, and also decadent! A company-quality pasta dish that all mushroom lovers will savor. I am giving you fair warning now- this recipe is addictive.
If you use the Mise en Place technique described below, it is so quick to put together before cooking. Clean and chop the herbs and vegetables in the morning, then put everything that needs refrigeration on a plate, covered, and refrigerate until dinner time.
Mise en Place – It is a French culinary term that means “everything in its place.” This culinary term refers to purchasing, preparing, and measuring all the ingredients necessary for a dish before you start cooking. This makes the actual process of cooking more efficient and helps prevent the cook from making mistakes or discovering missing ingredients at a crucial moment.
This Herb Pasta recipe and photos were shared with me by Karen Calanchini, Food Stylist and Photographer, of Redding, CA.
More delicious Pasta Recipes for more great cooking ideas.
- 1 pound (16 ounces) thin spaghetti pasta
- 5 slices thick bacon
- 15 ounces of mushrooms (either white button, brown, or a combination of both)*
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock (homemade or a good-quality or a combination of both)*
- 1 1/4 cups half and half cream***
- 6 green onions (white and green parts), sliced
- 3 sprigs French thyme, leaves removed
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano), grated
- Coarse salt or sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (for garnish)
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Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pan to keep warm. Learn How To Cook Pasta Properly. Reserve approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set aside.
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Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large frying pan; remove to paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, brake into bite-size pieces; set aside.
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In the same frying pan with the bacon fat over medium heat, saute the mushrooms until nicely brown. Add garlic and saute approximately 1 minute more until fragrant. Pour in chicken stock (or wine), stir and scrape bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Cook until the liquid is reduced by almost half.
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Reduce heat to low and add the half and half cream. Stir and allow to simmer until thickened. Add green onions, thyme leaves, and parsley leaves; cook approximately 1 minute. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, stirring gently, until the cheese is incorporated with the sauce. Remove from heat.
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Place the cooked pasta into a large bowl. Add 1/2 the cheese sauce and using tongs, toss well. You may need to add some pasta water at this point, approximately 1/2 cup of water if the pasta sauce is too thick. Add the remaining cheese sauce, bacon pieces, and toss well.
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To serve, place pasta onto individual serving plates, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and garnish with more parsley. Serve with a fresh green salad and some garlic bread.
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Makes 4 to 6 servings.
* Use a variety of mushrooms for an interesting twist.
** May substitute 1 cup dry white wine. Also learn how easy it is to make homemade chicken stock/broth.
*** May substitute 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk.