Meat mains
Pasta sauce with broad beans, mint and bacon
Sweet broad beans, fresh mint and smoky bacon mingle spectacularly in this easy to make pasta sauce: just the ticket for a weeknight dinner. If you'd like to keep this vegetarian you could substitute the bacon with goat's cheese or just leave it out and choose a vegetarian Italian style hard cheese instead of the Parmesan.
Cook's notes
If you'd like to keep this vegetarian you could substitute the bacon with goat's cheese or just leave it out.
Ingredients
- 500g broad beans
- 400g penne
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 140g streaky bacon, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 200ml double cream
- 1 handful mint, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Parmesan, grated
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Pod the broad beans and then blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until tender. Set the beans to one side.
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Step 2
In a large pan, heat the butter or oil and gently cook the bacon until it starts to brown.
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Step 3
Next, add the crushed garlic to the pan and stir for one minute. If the garlic begins to brown, turn down the heat.
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Step 4
Pour in the cream, roughly chopped mint and broad beans. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes.
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Step 5
Add grated Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. The sauce is best served with tagliatelle or penne.