Mushroom & Leek Pasta

This is an easy and fast meal, that puts a new even lighter spin on pastas with cream sauces.

1 pound of pasta, shells or Farfalle are best
10 ounces of “Baby Bella” or cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz of bacon
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
½ cup of parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons of butter
½ cup of heavy cream
1/8 cup of pasta water
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the white and light green portion of the leek in half, then thinly slice. If you have a mandolin, this is a good time to use it. Place the sliced leeks in a bowl of water to make sure all the sand drains out. Gritty pasta would be pretty nasty. Slice the mushrooms and set aside. Dice the bacon into small pieces so it looks like flat lardons. Heat you favorite pan (that can eventually hold a pound of cooked pasta) over medium heat and cook the bacon until crispy. Meanwhile to cook the pasta, bring a pot of salted water to boil. When the bacon is crispy add the mushrooms and some salt, and cook until browned and the water has cooked out of them. Drop the pasta and cook following the package instructions, usually anywhere between 10-14 minutes. When there is about 10 minutes left on your pasta add the drained leeks to the pan with more salt to help the leeks wilt. When the leeks are soft, add the butter and cook for an additional 2 minutes. When the pasta is done, make sure to grab that 1/8 cup pasta water prior to draining. Toss the drained pasta into the leek, mushroom, and bacon mixture, and add the pasta water and heavy cream. Finish by tossing the pasta in the parmesan cheese. Add pepper and additional salt if desired.

Also, here is my budget tip for the week. Buy a pound of bacon on sale, and separate it into 4 oz portions. Freeze. It seems that there are a good amount of recipes that call for or could benefit from a little bit of bacon. And now you have it waiting for you in the freezer. No more buying a new package, opening it, forgetting about it, then having to toss out what was once perfectly lovely pork.