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    You are here: Home / Cooking Times / a) 30 mins or less / Mushroom & Bacon Spaghetti with Chestnut Pesto

    Mushroom & Bacon Spaghetti with Chestnut Pesto

    10 December 2015 - By Michelle Minnaar
    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Jump to Recipe

    Mushrooms. Chestnuts. Bacon. Cheese. You can’t go wrong with these ingredients to make up the perfect winter dish.

    Cold weather recipe

    It’s that time of the year again. You know what I mean. Last minute requests for costumes for the Christmas school productions need honouring pronto. Just when you thought you’ve done all your present shopping you realise that you forgot about Aunty Marie and frantically jump onto Amazon for a desperate browse and purchase. Right now, my backyard has enough cardboard boxes to build a house. It will come as no surprise if it took up until February to get cleared up since the council only does fortnightly rounds.

    Chestnut, Mushrooms & Parsley

    Don’t get me started on wrapping presents. It’s the bane of my existence. No matter how hard I try, the aftermath looks like it’s been jumped on, kicked around the block a few times and set alight.

    Wild Mushrooms

    Okay, I exaggerated a little bit. There seems to be a knack to wrapping a present beautifully which I simply haven’t cracked yet. For now my recipients will have to make do with slightly wonky looking presents doctored with cellotape at unexpected places thanks to little tears here and there.

    Yet it’s all worth it. My children’s enthusiasm is infectious. The way they count down the sleeps, talk about meeting Santa at the grotto and theorise excitedly what toys they’re going to get make me smile. The weather might be dark, cold and wet but once the radio plays a jingle and you notice the pretty street decorations everyone’s spirits soar. It’s a happy time of year.

    Speaking of happiness, I recently received this Christmas hamper from John Lewis, called Seasonal Sophistication (£250). Dive in early and you’ll get into the jolly spirit well before the big day. On the actual day there is plenty to share with your loved ones who will be simply wowed by the artisanal products. Or after the 25th you can extend the holiday cheer. There really is no wrong time to open it. Christmas pudding, panettone, coffee, crackers, chocolate, condiments, booze… the list is long. My favourite is the Belinda Clark Handmade Natural Vanilla Marshmallows that just melted with pillowy greatness in my mouth. I don’t think I’ll ever buy rubbery commercial marshmallows again after tasting these and would have to resort to making my own.

    Raw Autumn Ingredients

    Speaking of presents. If you’d like to make the foodie in your life deliriously happy, buy him or her a set of knives.

    Not just any knives. Edge of Belgravia ones. There are myriads of kitchen gadgets on the market that gather dust most of the time in UK’s cupboards but one thing that will always be needed is a proper knife. Black, sleek and oh-so-sharp the Precision Knife Set Series (£69.90) look fancy on the kitchen top, especially if they’re placed in the ultra-modern Black Diamond knife block (£89.90).

    There are 4 knives in the set. The Chef’s Knife is good for general cutting and slicing. The Bread Knife is for … well, you know… cutting bread. The Deba Knife is unique and hails from the Japanese Debas knife that is ideal for slicing different types of fish, sushi and even vegetables and fruit. It is only ground on the one side to give a clean cut. Lastly, there is my favourite, the Paring Knife. It was easy and smooth going to slice the mushrooms into paper thin slivers.

    Edge of Belgravia Knives

    Oh, yes. It’s time for the recipe. Pasta is much loved in the UK for its simplicity in preparation as well as affordability. But alas, not all of us are lucky in the digestive department and gluten-free eaters tend to steer clear of pasta instead of suffering painful repercussions.

    Fortunately, more and more gluten-free products are introduced to the market constantly and recently Gallo launched a pasta range with four different shapes.

    The spaghetti took 8 minutes to cook. All went well until I had to mix in the pesto where matters literally broke apart. Still, it was a delicious plate of food.

    Start off by preparing the pesto first. Blend the dry ingredients first before gently stirring in the oil. In this case, I went easy on the oil but if you like your pesto more saucy, go ahead and add some more to get your pasta well lubricated.

    Chestnut & Parsley Pesto

    Chestnut & Parmesan Pesto

    Next, fry the lardons dry in a pan. Once they’re browned, set aside and keep warm but reserve the fat so that you can fry the mushrooms in it. If you use a less fatty bacon cut you’ll have to resort to using some kind of oil. Just about any kind of mushroom would work with this dish. Once the mushrooms are cooked, stir the pesto into the cooked pasta. Toss in the bacon and mushrooms and top with parmesan cheese.

    Fried lardons

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Mushroom, Bacon & Chestnut Pesto Pasta

    What kind of pasta dishes do you eat in winter?

    Print
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    Mushroom & Bacon Spaghetti with Chestnut Pesto


    ★★★★★

    4.6 from 8 reviews

    • Author: Author
    • Total Time: 30
    • Yield: 4 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Scale

    Ingredients

    • 50g (2oz) cooked chestnuts
    • 25g (1oz) parmesan cheese, grated
    • 1 garlic clove, peeled
    • 1½ handfuls of fresh parsley
    • 60ml (4tbsp) rapeseed oil
    • 200g (7oz) smoked lardons
    • 250g (8oz) mushrooms
    • 250g (8oz) Riso Gallo gluten-free spaghetti

    Instructions

    Instructions

    1. Place the chestnuts, cheese, garlic and parsley in a food processor and pulse until the mixture has a crumbly consistency.
    2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the oil. Set aside.
    3. Fry the lardons in a pan and stir them around until cooked and browned.
    4. Put the lardons aside but retain the fats released and fry the mushrooms in it until cooked.
    5. Keep the mushrooms and bacon warm while cooking the spaghetti for 8 minutes.
    6. Once the spaghetti is cooked and drained, stir in the pesto, then mix in the bacon and mushrooms.
    7. Divide into 4 portions and sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese.
    • Prep Time: 20
    • Cook Time: 10
    • Cuisine: Cuisine

    Nutrition

    • Calories: 562
    • Sugar: Sugars
    • Sodium: 592 mg
    • Fat: 29 g
    • Carbohydrates: 57 g
    • Fiber: Dietary Fiber
    • Protein: 16.9 g
    • Cholesterol: 5 mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tracey Peach

      December 10, 2015 at 4:34 pm

      Spaghetti Bolognese 🙂

      Reply
    2. iain maciver

      December 10, 2015 at 4:40 pm

      lasagne

      Reply
    3. Sally Collingwood

      December 10, 2015 at 4:53 pm

      Cheese, bacon pasta

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Tracy Nixon

      December 10, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      Spinach and Ricotta Caneelloni and Ravioli!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Louise Lumsden

      December 10, 2015 at 5:35 pm

      lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, macaroni cheese,carbonara

      Reply
    6. laura banks

      December 10, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      i like gnocchi and already subscribed

      Reply
    7. Paula Readings

      December 11, 2015 at 1:03 am

      Spaghetti bolognaise

      ★★★★

      Reply
    8. Ruth Harwood

      December 11, 2015 at 8:07 am

      Pasta bake and lasagne mostly xx

      Reply
    9. Laura Pritchard

      December 11, 2015 at 11:23 am

      Bolognaise & lasagna

      Reply
    10. Emma Ellams

      December 11, 2015 at 7:04 pm

      Pepperoni Pasta Bake 🙂

      Reply
    11. Amandeep Sibia

      December 11, 2015 at 7:42 pm

      A nice lasagna.

      Reply
    12. Camilla

      December 11, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      Love this dish anything with bacon and mushrooms is always a winner. Our favourite pasta dish is Cheesy Tuna Pasta or Ratatouille. I am very jealous of that John Lewis hamper!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • michelle

        April 14, 2017 at 12:23 pm

        That sounds pretty good too!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    13. Laura Nice

      December 12, 2015 at 11:16 am

      Lasagne

      Reply
    14. Kavey

      December 12, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      You are so right, classic combination and so seasonal! My favourite pasta dish is probably creme fraiche, mushrooms and bacon with penne.

      Reply
    15. claire woods

      December 13, 2015 at 10:13 am

      Bolognaise & lasagna

      Reply
    16. Miss Tracy Hanson

      December 13, 2015 at 12:23 pm

      Homemade vegetable lasagne and spag bol 🙂

      Reply
    17. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry

      December 13, 2015 at 2:25 pm

      I love the idea of a chestnut pesto.

      Reply
    18. Andrew

      December 13, 2015 at 3:42 pm

      I just love chestnuts… this I shall be making…

      ★★★★

      Reply
    19. Andrew

      December 13, 2015 at 3:42 pm

      I just love chestnuts… this I shall be making…

      ★★★★

      Reply
    20. rebecca nisbet

      December 13, 2015 at 11:02 pm

      we enjoy tortellini.

      Reply
    21. Hannah Ingham

      December 14, 2015 at 4:42 pm

      Lasagna! 🙂

      Reply
    22. Tamsin Dean

      December 15, 2015 at 11:43 pm

      Bolognaise

      Reply
    23. aaron broad

      December 17, 2015 at 1:32 pm

      Bologneise and Lasagne

      Reply
    24. michelle o'neill

      December 19, 2015 at 8:17 pm

      lasagne

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    25. tracey grevat

      December 20, 2015 at 7:49 pm

      We love pasta and eat anything with pesto in as well as roasted veggies and tomato pasta

      Reply
    26. Keith Hunt

      December 20, 2015 at 8:26 pm

      My sister makes Roasted Cherry Tomato and Ricotta Pasta Salad

      Reply
    27. Lizzy Cooper

      December 22, 2015 at 8:39 pm

      I like stodgy pasta in the winter, from thick creamy cheese sauces or a tomato based pasta with chorizo or other meats!

      Reply
    28. Lynsey Buchanan

      December 24, 2015 at 8:23 am

      Spaghetti bolognaise

      Reply
    29. Susan B

      December 26, 2015 at 1:25 pm

      I tend to eat lasagnes in winter but also enjoy spaghetti with leftover veggies in tomato sauce.

      Reply
    30. Susan B

      December 26, 2015 at 1:25 pm

      I tend to eat lasagnes in winter but also enjoy spaghetti with leftover veggies in tomato sauce.

      Reply
    31. Claire Ward

      December 27, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      Carbanara

      Reply
    32. Claire Ward

      December 27, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      Carbanara

      Reply
    33. aaron milne

      December 27, 2015 at 4:48 pm

      Love all pasta dishes

      Reply
    34. aaron milne

      December 27, 2015 at 4:48 pm

      Love all pasta dishes

      Reply
    35. Sheri Darby

      December 27, 2015 at 8:56 pm

      Vegetarian Lasagne

      Reply
    36. Heather Brannan

      December 28, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Spaghetti carbonara

      Reply
    37. Sue C

      December 28, 2015 at 6:00 pm

      Hmmm, tuna, sweetcorn past is always a winner here but for winter I also like to make a roasted vegetable (especially with yummy butternut squash) lasagne with vintage cheddar.

      Reply
    38. sofia s.

      December 28, 2015 at 7:04 pm

      i love the cheesy ones!

      Reply
    39. Jade Hewlett

      December 29, 2015 at 1:23 pm

      Lasagne

      Reply
    40. Victoria Prince

      December 29, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Any kind of pasta! Even in the winter I love my cold pasta salads, especially a pesto pasta salad. I also love tuna pasta bake or a nice comforting bowl of pasta in a cheese sauce 🙂

      Reply
    41. Victoria Prince

      December 29, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Any kind of pasta! Even in the winter I love my cold pasta salads, especially a pesto pasta salad. I also love tuna pasta bake or a nice comforting bowl of pasta in a cheese sauce 🙂

      Reply
    42. Karen Richards

      December 29, 2015 at 5:48 pm

      Chicken and mushroom

      Reply
    43. Rachel Wise

      December 29, 2015 at 7:30 pm

      Lasagne and carbonara

      Reply
    44. pete c

      December 29, 2015 at 11:43 pm

      often have ravioli

      Reply
    45. pete c

      December 29, 2015 at 11:43 pm

      often have ravioli

      Reply
    46. zoe somerfield

      December 30, 2015 at 12:59 pm

      Lasagne, tagliatelle, allsorts to be honest. I love pasta.

      Reply
    47. David Crabb

      December 30, 2015 at 5:11 pm

      We eat wholegrain pasta with green pesto and nuts!

      Reply
    48. Martina Alban

      December 30, 2015 at 5:21 pm

      Mushroom & Bacon Spaghetti with Chestnut Pesto

      Reply
    49. Cristín Williams

      December 30, 2015 at 5:45 pm

      I make a delicious soup with bacon lardons, celery lentils and orzo. The kids love it, it is one of the dishes my son was weaned on so holds special memories too

      Reply
    50. Ann

      December 30, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Pasta with ragu sauce

      Reply
    51. Natalie Crossan

      December 30, 2015 at 11:19 pm

      Lasange xx

      Reply
    52. Natalie Crossan

      December 30, 2015 at 11:19 pm

      Lasange xx

      Reply

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