Creamy Bacon
Mushroom Pasta
A luxurious, restaurant-quality pasta featuring crispy bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and a velvety cheese sauce that comes together in under 20 minutes.
This creamy bacon pasta is a masterclass in simple, high-impact cooking. By rendering bacon fat with aromatic rosemary and building an emulsified sauce with cheese and butter, you achieve a depth of flavor usually reserved for fine dining. It is the perfect recipe for when you want something truly indulgent but effortless to prepare at home.
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti
- 3-4 strips American-style bacon
- 6-7 fresh mushrooms
- 0.5 onion
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 knob butter
- 2 slices cheese
- to taste Parmesan cheese
- to taste sea salt
- to taste black pepper
Instructions
- 1Prepare the mushrooms
Slice 6-7 fresh mushrooms into thin, uniform pieces. Thinly sliced mushrooms will cook evenly and release their flavor quickly into the pasta sauce.
Tip: For the best texture, ensure your mushrooms are clean and dry before slicing. - 2Cut the bacon
Cut 3-4 strips of American-style bacon into 2cm pieces. Uniform sizing ensures the bacon renders its fat and crisps up evenly in the pan.
Tip: Using kitchen shears makes cutting bacon strips much faster and easier. - 3Cook the pasta
Boil the spaghetti in salted water for 8-10 minutes until it reaches an al dente texture that is soft and bendable.
Tip: Save a little bit of the pasta cooking water just in case you need to adjust the sauce consistency later. - 4Crisp the bacon
Fry the bacon pieces in a pan over medium-low heat until golden brown. Once crispy, reduce the heat to the lowest setting to prevent burning during the next steps.
Tip: Low and slow rendering is the key to perfectly crispy bacon without burning it. - 5Infuse the oil
Add 1-2 sprigs of rosemary to the rendered bacon fat. Let the herbs fry briefly to infuse the oil with their aroma, then remove and discard the sprigs.
Tip: Keep the heat low so the rosemary oils release without burning the herbs. - 6Sauté vegetables
Add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until soft. Incorporate the sliced mushrooms and cook until they are tender and have released their moisture.
Tip: Cook the onions first so they soften before adding the mushrooms, which need less time. - 7Create sauce base
Add a knob of butter and a splash of water to the pan. This combination creates the necessary liquid base for a creamy, emulsified sauce.
Tip: Using a small splash of water helps deglaze the pan and prevents the butter from burning too quickly. - 8Melt the cheese
Stir in two slices of cheese until completely melted into the sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper to your preference.
Tip: Keep the heat at the lowest setting when adding cheese to ensure it melts smoothly without splitting. - 9Finish the dish
Transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to allow the pasta to fully absorb the creamy flavors.
Tip: Tossing the pasta in the sauce over low heat for a few minutes is key to achieving that restaurant-quality flavor.
