Pasta Carbonara a la Pobre

Pasta Carbonora a la Pobre. More like Pasta Carbonara a la Benny!

My bestfriend, Benny, with me enviously taking note, has been steadfastly losing weight these past three months~31 pounds to be exact. She has made a couple of visits to my house, eyeing and begging for some of the can’t-admit-but-are-now-a-tiny-bit-too-small pants and blouses I have in my closet, which I have yet to lose hope of being able to wear again. I ain’t giving up, my friend! Shop somewhere else!

Anyways, I think as part of her devious plans to score some of my wardrobe pieces, she has been convincing me to try this recipe for my site. Smart gal! Bacon, milk, cheese, pasta, sinfully delicious…I had a big heaping on my plate and came back for seconds! My weight scale just registered three extra pounds…ARGGH!

UPDATE: After I posted this, I discovered there is weekly blog event called Presto Pasta Night that is hosted by ONCE A UPON A FEAST. I hope it’s not too late to submit this.

Makes 8 Servings

1 pound bacon (Yes, ONE pound!), finely chopped
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 cups water
6 cups fettucine noodles, cooked
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Heat a wide pan. Saute bacon pieces until crispy and oil have seeped through.
Add mushrooms and onions. Saute in the bacon oil.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Stir in flour into the bacon oil until lightly browned, well-blended and no lumps.
Pour in heavy cream. Deglaze, dissolving the browned bits of bacon in pan.
Allow to simmer, stirring constantly.
Add in water. Allow to a gentle boil, stirring constantly until sauce slightly thickens.
Add cheese. Continue to simmer and stir until cheese is melted.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add in cooked fettucine. Combine until noodles are well-coated with sauce.
Serve hot with a side of garlic bread or cheese toast.
Top with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

TIPS:
1) To make the dish a little less calorie-densed, substitute low fat milk for the cream. See my tips for beef with mushroom-cream sauce.
2) You can replace the bacon with grilled chicken slices and melt 2 tbsps of butter (in place of the bacon oil) to combine with flour to make the roux. After assembling the pasta with the sauce, top with the chicken slices. This is also a good way of making use of any leftover Christmas ham. Dice ham and mix into the sauce.
3) Benny’s recipe did not originally include dried parsley flakes but I accidentally “shaked” in it when I mistook its container for my pepper shaker! No harm done, brought a touch of color to the dish.