Mushroom Spinach Pasta

5 from 6 votes

Easy mushroom spinach pasta made with smoked streaky bacon, crimini mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms), penne pasta and a splash of cream. Ready in around 10 minutes this easy pasta recipe is full of flavour and perfect for getting dinner on the table on busy weeknights!

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 624kcal

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

3.5 oz (100g) Smoked pancetta/streaky bacon
8 medium (250g) Crimini Mushrooms , thinly sliced
½ cup (100ml) Cream
1 large handful (50g) Spinach
4 cups (400g) Penne Pasta
½ cup (125ml) Pasta water
1 pinch salt and pepper , to season

Instructions

First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente (around 8-10 minutes)
Meanwhile cut the streaky bacon into medium sized chunks and fry until brown and slightly crispy in a large pan, set aside on a plate.
Fry the thinly sliced mushrooms in the same pan the bacon was cooked in until they have softened and cooked down.
Add the crispy bacon back into the pan with the cream, reserved pasta water and cook the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and chopped spinach, stir to combine and add a generous sprinkling of pepper and small pinch of salt (taste if needed first because the bacon can be quite salty) serve.

Notes

Tips

Remember to reserve pasta water before draining the pasta. This adds a lot of flavour and emulsifies the sauce.
Taste the pasta before adding more salt, bacon can add a lot of seasoning so it may not need it.
Try adding a mixture of fresh thinly sliced mushrooms and dried porcini (re hydrated in water) for an extra flavour punch.
Garlic would be a nice addition as would fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley or basil.
Don't have penne pasta? This would work well with linguine and spaghetti too.
Although I didn't add parmesan cheese it wouldn't go wrong in this recipe

Nutrition