Creamy penne with broccoli & bacon

Name: Creamy penne with broccoli & bacon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 250 g Essential Penne; 750 g pack frozen Essential Broccoli Florets; 200 g pack Essential British Smoked Bacon Lardons; 150 ml Essential Double Cream; 1 tbsp Essential Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Made with only five ingredients, this recipe is big on flavour and costs under £2 a portion.

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Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare10 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time30 mins

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Ingredients

250g Essential Penne
½ x 750g pack frozen Essential Broccoli Florets
200g pack Essential British Smoked Bacon Lardons
150ml Essential Double Cream
1 tbsp Essential Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Method

Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, adding the broccoli to the pan for the last 5-6 minutes.
Heat a large, dry frying pan, then add the lardons. Cook gently for 10 minutes, until golden, crisp and cooked throughout. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving a little of the fat behind. Add the cream and pesto to the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving a little cooking water. Mix the pasta, broccoli and most of the lardons with the sauce, adding a dash of the cooking water, and season. Serve, topped with the remaining lardons.

Cook’s tip

Frozen broccoli saves time, but if you prefer to use fresh, simply break a small head of broccoli into florets. Alternatively, use green beans, soften courgettes in the bacon fat before adding the cream, or let washed baby spinach wilt into the pasta at the end of cooking.