Penne with Cream Sauce

    Posted by  ·  December 30, 2010

    This is a quick and easy meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes. Penne pasta is covered with a creamy sauce with mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, onions, bacon and garlic.

    Penne Boscaiola

    1 box penne pasta (approx. 14.5 oz)

    1 teaspoon olive oil

    1 large onion finely chopped

    3 cloves garlic, pressed

    4 slices of bacon finely chopped

    4 ounces of white button mushrooms, sliced

    1 1/2 cups half and half

    1/2 cup fresh coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

    Cook pasta until just tender, drain.  Heat oil in large skillet, add bacon. Cook for a minute until fat from bacon releases. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring until onion is soft and very lightly browned. Add cream to pan. Toss in pasta and Parmesan cheese, combine and cook until heated through (the longer you cook the thicker the sauce becomes). Season with salt and pepper.

    Enjoy with a large salad and some crusty bread.

    19 COMMENTS
    Filed Under: Main Courses, Recipes

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    Comments

    1. YanaM
      Monday, January 6th, 2014
      This is so yummy! I added frozen peas and a little bit of red pepper - so good - it became our family favorite - thank you!
      Reply
    2. Brenda
      Friday, May 24th, 2013
      I made this tonight & it was phenomenal!!! I didn't have any cream, so I used a jar of alfredo - it was so easy, and delicious! Thanks so much!!
      Reply
      • Cindy Hopper
        Saturday, May 25th, 2013
        I am glad you loved it as much as I do! I love a good, easy dinner!
    3. Wendy
      Monday, March 21st, 2011
      This is going to be our dinner tomorrow night! :)
      Reply
    4. lorena
      Friday, December 31st, 2010
      I made it today for lunch and could not stop going back for more! Thanks for all your help with my bacon question, Cindy, glad I asked so that I got to make this. It is definitely a keeper, thanks again for sharing it! Happy New Year to you and yours! :)
      Reply
    5. Aimee
      Friday, December 31st, 2010
      making this tonight!
      Reply
    6. Veronica M.
      Friday, December 31st, 2010
      This reminds of the pasta dish I had at the restaurant by hubby took me for my birthday. So yummy! I think I will try adding sun-dried tomatoes to it...I am on a sun-dried tomato kick right now!
      Reply
    7. Shari
      Friday, December 31st, 2010
      Made this for dinner last night and the hubby and 1 of the 2 girls LOVED it -- the other one is picky and likes nothing, so it wasn't unexpected she didn't like it. Hubby took the left overs for lunch today! I either didn't cook the bacon long enough before adding the onions or my pieces were too big, so I'll fix that next time. It was very easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
      Reply
    8. lorena
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      Thank you, it totally does! :)
      Reply
    9. Jenny
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      I made this tonight and it was delish! Thr hardest part is cooking the bacon! LOL My hubby and 5 children all liked it, which is nothing short of a miracle. Definite keeper, thanks for sharing this one!
      Reply
    10. Janet
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      This recipe sounds really good! I'm adding it to my menu for next week to try. Thank you for posting it. :)
      Reply
    11. lorena
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      This looks so yummy and I'm so tempted to try it but have a question since I don't do much cooking, sorry to say, but I do love to bake! ;) Do the 4 slices of finely chopped bacon need to be cooked before I put them in the pan or will they cook in the heated oil? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I really need to learn to cook more 'real' food in the kitchen and not just baked goods. ;) Thanks! lorena.
      Reply
      • cindylouh
        Thursday, December 30th, 2010
        Lorena, I used raw bacon. I chopped it small. I first put the raw bacon in the pan with the oil. I let it cook just a minute or so until the fat started to release. I then added in all the other ingredients and cooked until the onions were slightly browned (very slight-- mainly translucent). While the onions were cooking it cooked the bacon the rest of the way. I hope this helps.
    12. Sandy @The Mommys Place
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      Oh my mouth is watering and I am hungry. I can take a stab at this recipes I think.
      Reply
    13. bridget {bake at 350}
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      That looks DELICIOUS!!! Can I come over for dinner? ;)
      Reply
    14. Beth
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      Sounds YUM! Can't wait to try this!! :)
      Reply
    15. gali
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      What is half and half?
      Reply
      • cindylouh
        Thursday, December 30th, 2010
        Half & Half is like cream. This recipe would be extra rich and yummy with heavy whipping cream. I use half & half because it still has a richer flavor (and more fat) than milk but less fat than heavy whipping cream.
    16. 1 Funky Woman
      Thursday, December 30th, 2010
      Sounds yummy and something I might be able to tackle. Not a fan in the kitchen so easy is what I need!

      Megan
      Reply