Blue Cheese & Bacon Penne with Pear Salad
Penne in a silky blue-cheese cream sauce with crispy bacon, served alongside a honey-mustard pear and lettuce salad.
Ingredients
- 200 g Penne Pasta
- 30 g Blue Cheese
- 1 Pear
- 1 sachet Chicken Stock Powder
- 1 Shallot
- 1 sachet Grated Italian Style Hard Cheese
- 60 g Bacon Lardons
- 1 clove Garlic Clove
- 1 sachet Cider Vinegar
- 100 g Crème Fraîche
- 1 sachet Honey
- 0.5 bunch Chives
- 200 ml Water for the Sauce
- 1 tsp Wholegrain Mustard
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Cosberg Lettuce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook for about 12 minutes, until just tender. Drain using a colander like this for easy, mess-free straining., drizzle with a little olive oil, and set aside to keep from sticking.
- In a big bowl, toss together shredded Cos lettuce, thinly sliced pear, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped chives. In a small bowl, whisk cider vinegar, honey, wholegrain mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet like this over medium-high. Add the bacon lardons and cook until golden, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the sliced shallot and cook 2–3 minutes more until soft. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. You can finely chop the garlic or use a garlic press like this to save time.
- Pour in the water, sprinkle in the chicken-stock powder, and stir in half the mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly, then stir in the crème fraîche and half of the grated Italian cheese. Simmer 1–2 minutes until smooth.
- Stir the cooked penne into the sauce, tossing to coat. Cook for another minute until piping hot. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta between bowls, sprinkle over the remaining cheese, and serve with the pear salad on the side. Enjoy!