Everyone has them: super simple recipes that always succeed in making an impression or friends, acquaintances and family. In twenty minutes you serve a delicious pasta that looks like you have been toiling for hours on it. Below you will find such a delicious pasta that you can always rely on. With a few variations it will not get boring at all: vary with the spices, the meat or the type of pasta and with such a super simple adjustment you have a whole new dish.
Super Simple Pasta: Impress your friends
The simple basis
For 2 people you need:
- 200 grams of pasta (penne is perfect)
- a large container of mushrooms (400 grams)
- two white onions
- a pack of smoked bacon strips (250 grams)
- cup of cream cheese (with fine herbs)
- two cloves of garlic
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- a dash of plain olive oil
- salt and pepper
- bonus: handful of grated cheese
Simple stuff
- Pan for the pasta (25 or 30 centimeter diameter)
- Saucepan or frying pan with a raised edge
- spatula
- spoon
- bowl (dessert bowl for example)
Not necessary, but easy:
- garlic press
- colander
- kettle
A simple start
To keep things moving a bit, you first put the water in which you will be cooking the pasta. For the fastest results, use a kettle and pour the boiling water into the pan.
While you need to bring water to a boil, start the sauce.
The simple sauce
First you put the pan for the sauce on a low heat. Use a large skillet or saucepan.
This sauce is not difficult. The only real job is to cut the onions and mushrooms. If you would rather be lazy than tired or would you rather not cry, buy a bag of pre-cut onions. First, chop the mushrooms while the pan is heating up. You don’t want too large pieces, so first in half and then in slices gives the best result.
Place all sliced mushrooms in the warm pan. You don’t use oil or butter, nor salt or pepper. Mushrooms consist for a large part of water and you want to fry a part of that. Turn the heat to medium-low.
While the mushrooms are frying, cut the onions (or open the package of pre-cut onions). Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the spatula.
The simple pressure cooker
In the meantime, the water should boil. If you have used the kettle, pour the water into the pan and put it on a high heat. Add a dash of olive oil to the water so that the pasta doesn’t stick together. Don’t forget to add a good pinch of salt to the water. You won’t eat that salt right away, but it will prevent the pasta from becoming very bland.
Put the pasta in the pan, bring the water to a boil again. Then put the lid on the pan and lower the heat under the pan.
Back to the sauce
Now that the pasta is slowly cooking, you can give the sauce more attention. The mushrooms are now good: fold them out of the pan into a bowl and return the saucepan to medium heat. Put the bacon strips in the pan and let them fry. In the meantime, peel the 2 cloves of garlic and press them into the pan with the garlic press. If you don’t have a garlic press, cut it as thinly as possible into slices. Now immediately grab the sliced onions and put them in the pan. Fold the bacon-garlic-onion mixture regularly.
The real show-off puts two spoons of cooking water of the pasta in the saucepan for a good binding of the sauce.
Boiled out
And back to pasta. You can try the cooking time shown on the pasta packaging, but it usually isn’t right. It is better to take a penne out of the pan after 5-6 minutes and bite it: if that is difficult, let the pasta cook for another 2 minutes and repeat the bite trick. Can you bite smoothly through the paste, then it is good. Turn off the heat and drain the pasta. Let the pasta sit in the pan with the lid on while you put the finishing touches on the sauce.
Very nice
When the bacon is almost done and the onion becomes translucent, spoon the cup of cream cheese into the saucepan. Then immediately turn the fire to the lowest setting. Stir the cream cheese well into the mixture and let it heat for half a minute. Set aside 1 sprig of thyme. Now ‘zip’ the leaves from the other 4 sprigs of thyme directly into the sauce. Then you can tip the sauce into the pan with the pasta and stir it well.
Serve it!
Divide the delicious pasta over the plates. Here you can sprinkle a little grated cheese on top of the pasta if you like.
Use the last sprig of thyme to put a few leaves on top of the pasta. Now you can enjoy and impress your friends. Don’t forget to pretend it was super complicated.
Variation
Try replacing the bacon with a chorizo sausage. You can replace the onions with two leeks. You can replace the thyme with basil or a little (fresh!) Oregano.
Do you like fish? Then use 200 grams of smoked salmon fillet instead of the bacon. Only add these to the sauce with the herbs at the end. As a spice you can use dill with the salmon.
Do you think the cream cheese cheats a bit? Then use cooking cream or a cup of crème fraîche instead. This combines very well with some freshly ground pepper.