Cream Pasta
A rich, silky cream sauce of bacon, mushroom, and Parmigiano tossed through pasta — a crowd favorite. Simple ingredients; nail the consistency with pasta water and it rivals a restaurant plate.
Ingredients
- Pasta · fettuccine or linguine180 g
- Bacon · or pancetta, 1cm strips80 g
- Button mushrooms · sliced4
- Onion · chopped0.25
- Garlic · minced2 cloves
- Butter1 tbsp
- Pasta water · to adjust0.5 cup
- Cream sauce
- Heavy cream · or cream + milk1 cup
- Parmigiano · finely grated30 g
- Salt & pepper · to taste
- Parsley · chopped, garnish
Steps
- ⏲ 9 min
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water to 1 minute less than the package time. Reserve half a cup of the pasta water.
- ⏲ 5 min
Melt the butter and crisp the bacon, then add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and saute.
- ⏲ 3 min
Pour in the cream, reduce gently, then melt in the grated Parmigiano to make a smooth sauce.
- ⏲ 1 min
Toss the pasta in the sauce, loosening with reserved pasta water a little at a time if it's too thick.
Season with salt and pepper, plate, and finish with parsley and more pepper. Serve right away.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Carbonara-style: Egg yolks and cheese instead of cream (see the carbonara recipe).
- Rose pasta: Stir in tomato sauce for a pink rose sauce.
- Gorgonzola: Melt in gorgonzola for a rich blue-cheese cream.
- Seafood cream: Shrimp or scallops in place of bacon.
- Chicken Alfredo: Top with seared chicken breast for a hearty plate.
Tips
- Always save pasta water — its starch emulsifies the sauce silky.
- Cook the pasta 1 minute short and finish it in the sauce for perfect al dente.
- Add the cheese off high heat so it melts smooth instead of clumping.
- Too thick? Loosen with pasta water. Too thin? Reduce 1-2 minutes more.
- Classic Italian pasta rarely uses cream — this is the popular creamy take.
✏️ Improve this recipe
Sign in to edit.
contributors: 0 ·Edit history