Creamy Spinach Mushroom And Bacon Pasta Food

CREAMY BACON AND MUSHROOM PASTA

Steps:

• Boil a salted pot of water and cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, cut the bacon up (I use kitchen shears to make it easy) and add it to a skillet. Fry it until crispy over medium-high heat. When it's done, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
• Add the mushrooms to the skillet, and cook them, stirring occasionally, for about 5-6 minutes or until they release water and it's been cooked off.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Take the mushrooms out of the pan (add them to the same plate that has the bacon).
• Add the broth, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, flour, and Dijon mustard to the pan. Give it a good stir (only let it cook for about a minute max or it'll all cook off).
• Add in the cream and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and bacon back to the skillet. Let it heat through/cook for a few more minutes until it's slightly thickened, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet and toss. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. If the sauce gets a tad too thick, add in a splash of the hot pasta water prior to draining it.

CREAMY SPINACH, MUSHROOM AND BACON PASTA

Steps:

• Slice the onion and grate the garlic on the small eye.Chop the bacon and the mushrooms and wash the spinach.Pan-fry the onion until soft and then add the garlic.Add the bacon and pan-fry until almost done and add the mushrooms.Toss for about 5 mins.Add the milk and the cream, a good grinding of black pepper and a nice pinch of salt.Let the sauce reduce for about 5-10 mins until it thickens up.Add the spinach baout 2 mins before you take it off to wilt nicely into the sauce but not kill it entirely.Serve on any type of pasta, I used wholewheat spaghetti.

CREAMY MUSHROOM, BACON AND SPINACH PASTA - LOW FAT

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Spray a pan with olive oil spray and sauté finely chopped onion, capsicum, bacon and garlic.
• When soft add mushrooms and as much or as little chilli as you like.
• Cook until soft.
• Put pasta into boiling water and bring back to the boil.
• Cook to your liking.
• Add dijon mustard and evaporated milk to the onion mix.
• Stir to combine and heat very gently until pasta is ready.
• If you like a'wetter' sauce add a small amount of the pasta cooking water to the onion/milk mixture.
• Place washed spinach leaves into a colander.
• When ready drain the pasta over the spinach.
• This will wilt the spinach- the only'cooking' it needs.
• Add the pasta/spinach mix to the sauce.
• Stir to combine.
• Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper and parmesan cheese if desired.
• **Note: In Australia, on the Weight Watchers points plan, WW bacon is 1/2 a point for 3 slices and the small tin (185ml) of carnation brand light and creamy evaporated milk is 3 points.

CREAMY SPINACH & MUSHROOM PENNE

Steps:

• Cook the penne following pack instructions and put the kettle on to boil. Meanwhile, put the cashews and dried mushrooms in a medium heatproof bowl along with the bouillon powder, and pour over 200ml boiling water from the kettle. Leave to soak for 5 mins. After this time, blitz the mixture with a hand blender until smooth and creamy.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fresh mushrooms and garlic for a couple of minutes until just starting to soften. Add the spinach and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the spinach has wilted. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan with the mushroom mixture, season with plenty of black pepper and toss everything together well. Remove from the heat and stir through the creamy mushroom sauce, adding a drop of the reserved cooking water if needed to loosen. Serve straightaway.

BACON & MUSHROOM PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in boiling water in a large non-stick saucepan according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms and snip the bacon into bite-size pieces with scissors or a sharp knife.
• Reserve a few drops of the cooking water in a cup or bowl, then drain the pasta and set aside. Fry the bacon and mushrooms in the same pan until golden, about 5 mins. Keep the heat high so the mushrooms fry in the bacon fat, rather than sweat.
• Tip the pasta and reserved water back into the pan and stir over the heat for 1 min. Take the pan off the heat, spoon in the pesto and crème fraîche and most of the basil and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the remaining basil to serve.