Mushroom, Bacon, Tomato and Courgette Pasta
A speedy tomato pasta sauce with bacon, mushrooms and courgette — makes great leftovers too.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 rashers lean smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 8 mushrooms, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 300ml chicken stock
- 240g passata (or canned crushed tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 courgette, quartered lengthways and sliced
- 280g dried pasta (penne works well)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the pan and add the onion, frying until softened.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic and about 60ml of the stock, and cook, reducing down around the mushrooms, until golden. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until slightly softened.
- Add the passata, tomato purée, dried herbs, remaining stock and balsamic vinegar.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes, adding the courgette for the last 5 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in a pan of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 80ml of the pasta water, then drain.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the reserved pasta water and stir until fully coated.
- Stir in the cooked bacon and chopped parsley until warmed through. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve, optionally sprinkled with a little grated parmesan or cheddar.