Leek and Bacon Pasta

Leek And Bacon Pasta - MS Word document for downloading

Leek and Bacon Pasta is nutritious and filling - and prepared in minutes. To my mind, that’s an ideal mid-week family supper! All you need to serve with it is a crisp fresh salad. You can use spaghetti or any type of pasta - the tricolour ones give this dish a more interesting appearance.

Below is the recipe I usually use. By the time we wanted to eat tonight, it was a really cool evening and I didn’t want a salad to accompany this. Instead, I cooked some peas with the pasta and added those. A little grated semi-mature cheese on the top melted into the mixture beautifully!

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients and Shopping List.

• 200g (8oz) smoked bacon
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 leeks
• 350g (12oz) spaghetti or pasta shapes
• 100g (4oz) cream cheese - half fat, if you prefer
• 150ml (a quarter of a pint) of single cream
• generous pinch of thyme
• 1 tbs chopped parsley for garnish
• black pepper to taste (no salt is needed, because of the bacon)

Method.

1. Put the water on to boil for the pasta. Cook according to instructions on the packet.
2. Cut the bacon into 2.5cm (1″) strips.
3. Heat the oil in the pan and add the bacon.
4. Sauté over high heat until crisp.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, cut the leeks into 2.5cm (1″) slices.
7. Add the leeks to the bacon fat.
8. Cover and cook over gentle heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
9. Return the bacon to the pan.
10. Add the cream and cream cheese to the bacon and leeks, stirring constantly, until hot.
11. Add the parsley and black pepper
12. Drain the pasta and toss in the sauce.

Serve immediately with a crisp, fresh salad.

Liz Milton