We adore pasta. With there being seven of us in the household at times, we tend to buy the large 3kg bags from ASDA.

However, when it’s just the two of us, we sometimes treat ourselves to some more expensive rigatoni. Ok, so it’s still dried pasta, but it feels more meaty between your teeth. My partner always nags me to make this pasta dish for him, so I thought I would share it with you. Unfortunately, there are no measurements as I just throw it in, taste and adjust as necessary.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion
  • A few rashers of unsmoked bacon
  • A handful of chestnut mushrooms 
  • 1 chicken stock pot
  • Half a cup of frozen petits pois
  • Alpro single soya (dairy-free cream substitute)
  • Prosciutto

Method

Add some chopped bacon, a sliced onion and some sliced mushrooms into the frying pan. The fat from the bacon should mean that you won’t need any cooking oil but do keep a close eye on it and add a little olive oil if necessary. Use a spatula to stir regularly and cook for a few minutes before adding the stock pot and some boiling water. Allow this to simmer. 

pasta sauce

Once the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms and onions are looking soft and almost cooked, add the petits pois to the pan. You will notice that the sauce stops bubbling. Do not be tempted to turn up the heat. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes and then turn the heat down. Add a good glug of the single cream substitute (of course, if you are not dairy-free, you can use normal cream). 

Meanwhile, fry the prosciutto in a separate frying pan. The great chefs will tell you that this does not need cooking. However, we like the crispiness. 

Seasoning-wise, you should definitely not add any salt at all. The bacon and stock mean that it will already have a lot in there. A good twist of black pepper will be great though.

Finally, give it a taste and adjust if necessary. Then pour over your pasta and serve with the prosciutto on top. 

We’d love to know what you think – it’s definitely one of our favourites! There is certainly none wasted and going to landfill when it comes to this recipe.

If you are trying to go dairy-free or gluten-free (or even both), you can find some fantastic tips here. It’s not easy, but it ought to be worth it. Another favourite pasta dish is courtesy of The Rare Welsh Bit and can be found here.

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