Quick and easy weeknight pasta with bacon, onions and mushrooms, all in one pan and on the table in 30 minutes.
I remember clipping this recipe out of Martha Stewart Living and tossing it in my recipe drawer. Rummaging through my drawer a few months later, it caught my eye and I thought it'd be a good weeknight dinner.
Little did I know it would become one of Picky Eater's favorites ~ Pasta with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms. I was kind of surprised by that, I knew she'd like the bacon but didn't think the mushrooms and onions would go over very well. I was wrong, she loves this pasta.
It is so simple and comes together in one pan (well practically, you have to boil the pasta separately). High five to that! Cook up some bacon, add onions and mushrooms, then toss in the pasta and some good Parmesan. Adding pasta cooking water gives it a nice, silky sauce ~ creamy but with no cream.
The browned bits in the pan add even more rich flavor to this simple dish. Best part? On the table in half an hour. Another high five! Picky Eater also loves, and recently made herself, this quick and simple baked Penne with Prosciutto and Parmesan Cream.
Picky Eater is in her first apartment this year at college, yes, off campus. The first thing she asked me for was this recipe for Pasta with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms ~ I can't believe I never thought to put it on the blog until now. You really can't go wrong with bacon and onion, and combined with cremini mushrooms and pasta, you have the makings of a perfect, quick weeknight dinner. Enjoy ~ Kelly🍴🐦
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Pasta with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch slivers
- 1 yellow onion, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 10-12 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean and sliced
- 12 oz fusilli (corkscrew shape) or other short tube pasta
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until golden brown and most of the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes. Add the onions, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until tender.
- Push bacon/onion mixture to the side, increase heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook without stirring until they start to sizzle and brown, releasing their liquid, about 5 minutes. Lower heat, sprinkle with salt and then stir to combine with bacon and onions and cook another 3 minutes or so.
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Transfer pasta to skillet, reserving pasta cooking water. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in 1 cup of pasta water. Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits, until sauce is silky and pasta is evenly coated, 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley and half the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in pan, or transfer to large bowl, and top with remaining cheese. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
*Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, April, 2012
Nicole Dickenson
Wednesday 31st of January 2024
Really enjoyed the brown bits made a big difference ,so much so that I decided to leave out the cheese. Will definitely do again.
Julie
Wednesday 22nd of March 2023
delicious and really silky sauce without cream.
Janet Blackmore
Saturday 31st of October 2020
I added peas and corn but left the cheese out. was perfect. I also added a couple of teaspoons of cornflour to the frypan and stirred and cooked it out before adding the pasta water.