An easy family-pleasing dinner, this creamy cheesy pasta with sausage and crispy bacon can be ready, on the table, in 20 minutes. A fantastic comfort food dinner using simple everyday ingredients, it’s the perfect back-to-school comfort food!

I’ve been making and eating this for 30 years!

Free printable recipe is available on our site:

Ingredients:
4 good quality pork sausages about 270g/9.5oz
400 g (14oz) spirali pasta – (or your favourite pasta shapes)
8 rashers (strips) streaky bacon (about 125g/4.5oz)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
150 g (1 ½ packed cups) grated mature/strong cheddar cheese
180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F

2. Place the sausages on a baking sheet and place in the oven to cook for approx 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Then remove from the oven and place on a chopping board.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water as per the cooking instructions, until al dente, then drain in a colander, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water.

4. While the pasta and sausages are cooking place a large frying pan over a medium heat to heat up.

5. Once hot, place the bacon in the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes, turning once during cooking, until browned and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a chopping board.

6. Add the tablespoon of oil to the bacon fat that’s already in the frying pan.

7. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened.

8. By now the pasta should be ready (remember to save a cup of the pasta water when draining the pasta). Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with the onion.

9. Add the cheese, cream and pepper to the pan and stir together with the pasta until the cheese has melted.

10. Slice the cooked sausages and bacon on the chopping board and add to the pan with the pasta.

11. Stir everything together.

12. If you want to loosen the sauce slightly, add splashes of the pasta cooking water until the sauce is thinned to your liking.

13. Transfer the pasta to bowls and serve topped with fresh parsley and a little more black pepper if you like.

Notes
Want to add in some vegetables? Add frozen peas to the pan with the pasta for the last minute of cooking the pasta. Add mushrooms, chopped chunks of peppers or courgette (zucchini) to the pan when you’re frying the onion

Ingredient swaps
a. Swap the bacon for chorizo
b. Leave out the bacon and swap the sausage for vegetarian sausages for a vegetarian version.
c. Add veggies such as peas, mushrooms or spinach.
d. Swap out quarter of the cheddar for mozzarella if you wanted some stretchy cheese in there.

#CookingShow #Recipe #ComfortFood

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