Bacon, Brie and Basil Linguine

Recipe and photography provided by Heinen’s partner, Chef Billy Parisi. 

If you’re looking for a fantastic and impressive weeknight pasta to serve to family or guests, then you must try this Bacon, Brie & Basil Linguine loaded with mushrooms, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

November is kind of an odd month for me. While Thanksgiving takes center stage, there’s a lot of family and friends that are in and out, so I’m always looking to serve them something delicious that is also a bit different than the normal cool-weather holiday fare. This creamy brie pasta with bacon and basil is nothing short of delicious and comes together in under 20 minutes!

It’s normal for us to always have people over at our house, but when it gets closer to the holidays entertaining intensifies. There’s nothing like being able to serve up a quick, delicious meal with friends and family that will be the talk of every dinner table conversation.

To start off this bacon, brie and basil pasta, you want to, of course, get all of your ducks in a row so that you won’t have to stop to prep anything once the cooking process starts. Once you have your mushrooms sliced, sun-dried tomatoes julienned, garlic minced, bacon chopped and brie chunked, it’s go time.

I used a really large cast iron skillet, but you can absolutely make this pasta in a large frying pan. Heat the pan over medium heat and cook the bacon until it is really crisp, which should only take about 5 minutes. Set those crispy bacon lardons to the side and then go ahead and add the mushrooms into the pan to brown.

It’s important to brown the mushrooms because they really take on an awesome flavor when caramelized. I then add the garlic and quickly sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. They always say once you smell the garlic, it’s done cooking. Pour in the cream, turn down the heat to low, and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. That should be plenty of time for the cream to thicken up a bit.

The next part of this recipe can be a little intense because you’re going to have a few things going on at once. Add the brie chunks to the cream and then add the fresh Ohio City Pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Since the pasta is fresh, it only takes about 3 minutes to cook. Once it is cooked, drain it and cool it under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Now, go back over to the pasta saucepan, add in 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and then immediately add in the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, cooked bacon and basil and cook for 2 minutes, or until thick. While the sauce is warm, add the cooled pasta back in and toss it until coated and warmed up.

From there, serve this in a large bowl. I recommend pairing this dish with some sort of wine, extra brie and some delicious bread. I can’t stress enough, this pasta dish is so delicious and the absolute perfect meal to serve to family and friends.

Bacon, Brie & Basil Linguine

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 strips of chopped bacon
• 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces of brie cheese, cut up
• 1 cup hot starchy pasta water
• 3 cups packed baby spinach
• ½ cup  sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped
• 16 ounces Ohio City Pasta Linguine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat up a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the hot frying pan with rendered bacon fat and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are browned.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes and then pour in the cream.
4. Cook the cream for 3 to 4 minutes or until it begins to thicken up.
5. Stir in the brie cheese and cook over low heat until melted and combined.
6. While the sauce is warm, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and run under cool water to stop it from overcooking. Set aside.
7. Add 1 cup of the hot, starchy pasta water to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until it thickens up. Add the spinach, tomatoes, and basil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach wilts.
8. Fold in the pasta, season with salt and pepper and serve.