Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Quick Bacon and Mushroom Pasta

RileyAdamsFoodBlogPostpic_thumb_thumb[3]

Ah spring! The young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love—and mine turn to volunteering. :)

Spring is a busy time of year for my children. There are field trips, band competitions, camping trips and more. I try to help out and be part of the fun when I can.

Tomorrow I’m going to Raleigh, North Carolina (our state capital) on a field trip with my daughter’s 4th grade class. We’ll be learning all about state government—and even taking a detour to a museum of natural history. It’ll be a full day there—pre-dawn until nightfall.

These trips are a lot of fun, but they do require a little schedule maneuvering. And I like to make things as easy as possible for myself leading up to the outings— cooking easy meals that I know by heart, for example. Meals like bacon and mushroom pasta.

This dish also reheats nicely—a good thing, since any leftovers will be ready for my husband and son to heat up for supper while my daughter and I are away. You could use broccoli instead of peas, linguini instead of rotini, half-and-half or heavy cream in place of the cream cheese, and a variety of different cheeses for the topping. It’s a good go-with-the-flow kind of recipe.

bacon pasta

Quick Bacon and Mushroom Pasta

1/2 lb. pasta (I used a whole-wheat rotini)
4 slices chopped bacon
4 oz.cubed cream cheese
small can sliced mushrooms
1 stalk green onion
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup milk
¾ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp Red pepper flakes (cayenne pepper)


Cook the pasta according to package directions. Fry bacon until crisp, then remove it from skillet, reserving 2 T of drippings. Drain bacon on paper towels.

Add green onions, mushrooms, and peas to the skillet, cooking for several minutes before adding the milk, red pepper, and cream cheese to the pan. Cook on low heat until the cream cheese is melted and the mixture is heated through.

Drain the noodles and stir in the bacon and cream cheese mixture, sprinkling the Romano cheese on the top before serving.

Have fun and enjoy the spring!

Riley/Elizabeth
Delicious and Suspicious (July 6 2010) Riley Adams
Pretty is as Pretty Dies –Elizabeth Spann Craig

11 comments:

  1. Another quick and easy recipe for the spring. This sounds delicious and the fact you can reheat it is an added bonus. I also like that you can swap the ingredients, very handy. Thanks.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  2. Another fun, easy dinner for kids and family.

    Something to consider (less mess) is cooking the bacon in the microwave (if you don't have a bias against the MW). I set paper towels on a plate, put the bacon on top (in separate strips), cover with paper towels and cook on high 2 minutes, check, and recook another minute at a time until done to crispness. Toss out the paper towels. No mess.

    ~Avery

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  3. I love recipes like this. Quick and easy and delicious, too. My shrimp pasta recipe is sort of like this. One I love to fall back on when pressed for time!

    ~ Krista

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  4. Mason--It's always nice to be able to swap ingredients around, isn't it? That way we don't have to go to the store as much!

    Avery--Great idea for saving myself from the greasy mess! Thanks. :) I always like shortcuts to keep from doing more cleaning than I already have to!

    Krista--I love shrimp pasta! Hm. May have to put that on my menu for next week!

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  5. Go with the flow recipes are the best. Thanks for this, Elizabeth. Have a wonderful time on your trip tomorrow with your daughter. How fun!

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  6. Beautifully quick, easy, (and tasty!) recipe. I like your use of whole wheat pasta. I'm always on the lookout for pastas with higher fiber and nutrition content, especially when the real flavor comes from delicious sauces and additions like the ones in your recipe today.

    I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time on your field trip to Raleigh!

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  7. Julie--Thanks! I think it might be raining on us, but we'll be indoors most of the time...I think!

    Cleo--I'm really on the hunt for whole wheat more and more. I read so much now about enriched white flour that I'm trying to avoid it! Luckily, there seems to be more and more whole wheat options on the shelves lately--at just the regular grocery stores. :)

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  8. This looks really good and easy! And another thing I love, which may be quirky to some: I love seeing recipes with canned mushrooms. I like fresh mushrooms, too. But I think canned mushrooms have been unfairly maligned. I love them. And, I love them on pizza. It's impossible to find a pizza place that uses canned mushrooms anymore. Canned mushrooms on pizza are far superior to fresh!! Join my campaign! Okay, I'll admit it's a little quirky.

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  9. Christi--I'm so glad to hear you say that! I think canned mushrooms not only make my life a lot easier, but I think they are frequently an improvement over fresh in taste and texture! :) I like your campaign!

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  10. Thank-you Elizabeth - so true! So, far, a party of two, but who knows - maybe I'll get my canned mushrooms back on pizza yet.:)

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  11. Well, I love all these ingredients and it sure sounds quick and easy - so this recipe will find a place at my table!

    Thanks.

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