Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon
Recipes Italian Main Dish Pasta Quick and Easy
Description
The creamy, flavorful sauce really compliments the asparagus and mushrooms and the bacon just makes everything better.
Ingredients
8 slices bacon, chopped
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 c. milk, divided
12 oz. farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 lb. asparagus
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded or grated
Directions
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Discard the tough ends of the asparagus and then cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces.
Cook pasta in well salted boiling water about 3 minutes less than the lowest cook time on package directions, not quite al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a 12 inch non-stick skillet or a cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crispy; transfer to a paper towel lined platter. Pour the bacon grease into a heat safe bowl. Don't discard it because some will be used later.
Using the same skillet used for the bacon, heat to medium heat; add mushrooms; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms until browned and liquid is mostly evaporated, 4 - 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the bacon.
In a larger pot, add the broth, 2 c. milk, pasta, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Bring mixture to a vigorous simmer; cook about 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally and moderating the heat so that the mixture simmers but doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Stir in asparagus; cook for another 4 - 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender and pasta is al dente but still slightly firm. There will be a bit of liquid left which helps make the creamy sauce.
In a blender, combine 1 c. milk, cream cheese, and flour; blend until completely smooth. Slowly add this to the pot while stirring quickly to combine. Simmer for several minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove pot from heat.
Set aside a bit of bacon for garnish. Stir the remaining bacon and mushrooms into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Garnish with bacon and more Parmesan cheese, if desired.
4 servings.