Stuff your face with creamy bacon and cream cheese fettuccine

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By adding a bunch of green onions, it will add a nice flavor to the fettuccine.

Cristina Lule

The best fettuccine dish I ever had was at Fishermen’s Grotto in San Francisco. I ordered the shrimp fettuccine with baby scallops and was immediately enamored with the complexity of flavors and how each ingredient complemented the others.

The sauce was velvety smooth and rich, the pasta was tender and cooked perfectly and the shrimp and scallops added the bold seafood flavors San Francisco is known for. Dining at Fishermen’s Grotto was a pleasure I’ll never forget, but nothing gives me more pleasure than finding a fettuccine dish I can make at home.

I’ve made this recipe over the years and have perfected it because it’s fast to make and tastes just as good every time I make it. It takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare, which is about the same time it takes to get a table at Fishermen’s Grotto and –a plus – I can swap out the bacon and pasta for healthier alternatives.

I substitute turkey bacon for regular bacon because I don’t eat pork, but feel free to add any type of bacon you prefer. I also substitute the fettuccine for whole wheat or whole grain fettuccine.

This alternative is more expensive but it adds more fiber to your diet.

According to the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital website, foods high in fiber, such as brown rice and whole grain cereals, can make you feel fuller longer and can prevent over eating. Eating a diet rich in whole grain foods can also reduce your risk of obesity.

I use regular cream cheese instead of reduced fat cream cheese because I find there’s no substitute for regular cream cheese’s rich and tangy flavor, which perfectly complements the bacon’s salty, crunchy texture.

This recipe is adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Collection.

Bacon and Cream Cheese Fettuccine

1 package (16 ounces) bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces (I used turkey bacon)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

6 green onions, sliced

8 ounces fettuccine, uncooked

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

2/3 cup milk

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 small tomato, chopped

In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is crispy. Drain the oil with a paper towel.

Add the onions and mushrooms with bacon in the skillet. Cook and stir for about four minutes and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to package directions in a large saucepan. To prevent the noodles from sticking, add some olive oil to the water once it begins to boil.

To check to see if the pasta is cooked, grab a pasta noodle from the pot and throw it at the wall. If the pasta sticks then it’s ready. However, if you don’t want your guests looking at you like a crazy person, just follow the directions on the fettuccine box.

Add the cooked fettuccine, the cream cheese, milk, garlic powder, basil and thyme to the saucepan. Cook and stir on medium heat until the cream cheese is melted.

Toss in the bacon to the fettuccine mixture and garnish with the tomato.

I plan on going back to Fishermen’s Grotto soon to order the pasta dish that has inspired me to make my own. Until then, my bacon and cream cheese fettuccine is more than enough to keep me satisfied.

Cristina Lule can be reached at [email protected]