If you grew up loving pasta bakes like we did, this one is for you.
Another recipe born from the leftovers of my little fridge, but SO tasty and completely moreish. We didn't want this dish to end – luckily, I made a big enough batch that it saw us through two nights! It's cheesy and salty and tangy, thanks to the spring onions. You could adapt this recipe to fit whatever you've got leftover; this would work amazingly with chorizo or pulled pork, for example.
Bacon & Spring Onion Pasta Bake
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pack lardons (smoked or unsmoked is up to you)
4 spring onions, chopped
60g plain flour
60g butter
300ml milk
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1tsp black pepper
1tsp oregano
2tsp paprika
As much or little of your favourite cheese*, grated
400g dried pasta – we used macaroni as the tubes suck up all the sauce giving you a taste explosion
*a mixture of cheeses would work well for this, I used cheddar and parmesan but if you have leftovers from another recipe or a cheeseboard, a recipe like this is the perfect way to use them up!
Method:
Preheat the oven to about 180°. Get your pasta cooking on the hob in a pot of boiling, salted water.
Meanwhile, fry off the lardons in a frying pan. Once they are turning golden brown, add the spring onion.
As everything else cooks, make your white sauce. Now, you could use store-bought if you fancy, but here's how I make mine: melt the butter in a pot and add the flour, stirring continuously. Cook the flour off for a minute or so. Then pour in a little of the milk, whisk it in until it forms a paste, then add the rest. As the sauce begins to thicken, add most of your grated cheese, the mustard, black pepper, oregano and paprika. Mix to combine, then take the pot off the heat.
Combine the cooked pasta with the lardons and spring onions and tip this into a large baking dish. Then pour the sauce over. Top with the last of your grated cheese – you could also add some breadcrumbs for a golden crust – and bake in the oven for 20-ish minutes until it's bubbling and golden.
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