Pasta with bacon, cream and mushrooms: a comforting recipe for the whole family

By Marilyn

I call it my “heart attack” pasta since it contains a lot of fat, but it is 100% comforting and good for the mood ;). The whole family will love this recipe.

An easy recipe to customize according to your tastes

Here I used penne, but you can use fettuccine or any other pasta you have in the pantry. You can also take 15% cream or milk to reduce the fat content of the recipe.

For the dried mushrooms, I had those from Morilles Québec, crab mushrooms in a 14g box. You could take fresh mushrooms and sauté them with the bacon, or any dried mushrooms will do.

Makes 2-4 servings depending on appetite (you can make the recipe bigger if your family is bigger)

Ingredients

• 1 packet of dried mushrooms
• ½ package of smoked bacon
• 2 cups penne
• 1 French shallot
• 1 ½ tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. butter
• 1 ½ t. 35% cooking cream (or 15% or milk)
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Rehydrate dried mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes as directed; drain, set aside;
2. Cut half a package of smoked bacon into small pieces;
3. Chop the French shallot;
4. Boil water, add salt and cook pasta according to directions;
5. Béchamel: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, whisk until a roux forms, add the cream, lower the heat and simmer until thickened, stirring regularly to prevent lumps from forming;
6. In a saucepan, brown the shallot in a little butter or oil to soften it, add the bacon and cook until desired consistency (some people prefer it crispier, others more tender);
7. Drain pasta when ready; to book;
8. Remove bacon fat from skillet then add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes;
9. Mix together: the cooked pasta, the béchamel, the bacon/mushroom/shallot mixture;
10. Add the parmesan and mix well; pepper (salt if necessary).

Accompany the pasta with a good green and crunchy salad to balance everything ;)

Enjoy your food!