Brie and Bacon Pasta Recipe

Brie and bacon pasta (rigatoni) in a white bowl garnished with fresh parsley.

Brie and Bacon Pasta Recipe

Brie and bacon are a match made in heaven; the rich, earthy and almost sweet flavours of the cheese perfectly complement the salty umami bacon, and here they combine to create a superb pasta sauce with hints of Vermouth and sage.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Modern European

Keyword brie and bacon pasta, brie pasta, pasta with brie cheese

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings Servings

Calories 840kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

150 g Brie 5oz
1 Medium-Large Echalion or Banana Shallot 50g
2 Garlic Cloves
6 Large Sage Leaves
125 g Bacon Lardons 4oz (cut into very small pieces)
125 ml Dry Vermouth ½ Cup
⅛ teaspoon Salt (plus extra to cook the pasta)
⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
200 g Dry Pasta 7oz (I use rigatoni)

Instructions

Cut the shallot in half, peel it, then cut it into very thin "half moon" shapes.
If your lardons are large, give them a chop with the knife; you want small bacon bits.
Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan over a medium heat, and when it is hot, add the oil, followed by the bacon bits and the shallots, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Now is a good time to bring a 20cm or 8" pan of well-salted water to a boil. I use 1½ teaspoons of water in a pan this size.

Remove the tougher end of the stalks from the sage leaves and shred them as finely as you can.
Peel and finely dice the garlic cloves.
Remove the rind from the brie cheese (discard it) and cut the cheese into 1cm (just under ½") pieces.

Dropping the brie in the freezer for 15 minutes before working helps with this process a little. But you can do it without this process if you wish.

After the bacon and shallots have had 5 minutes, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

The timings for this recipe assumes that the pasta takes 12 minutes to cook. If yours takes more or less time, adjust timings as necessary.

Cook the shallots for another 5 minutes after the pasta has gone into the pot to cook. Then add the garlic, sage leaves, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in the Vermouth and cook for 2 minutes or until it has reduced by half.
Add the brie cheese, reduce the heat to low and cook until the pasta is ready, stirring until it has melted.
Drain the pasta, reserving around 75ml (⅓ cup) of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir to coat, adding as much of the cooking liquid as required to get a smooth and silky sauce.

Nutrition