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5 from 2 votes

Easy Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake

This easy bacon and cheese pasta bake is so creamy, delicious, and requires no boiling at all! Just fry the bacon, leeks, and mushrooms, then bake them in homemade cheese sauce with pasta shells in the oven.
Includes easy-to-follow process shots and a 15-minute air fryer creamy pasta bake version, too!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cheese, cream, leeks, pasta, pasta bake
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 918kcal
Author: Vikkie Lee

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon Olive oil
  • 300 g bacon Smoked - Approx 10 rashers - all fat trimmed and sliced
  • 2 large leeks sliced
  • 130 g mushrooms sliced
  • 250 g double cream
  • 240 g milk Same as 240ml
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder Or dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 150 g mature cheddar cheese grated
  • 200 g pasta Gnocchi Napoletani shells or penne
  • 280 g water Same as 280ml water
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven on 180 degrees celcius (fan) or gas mark 6.
  • In a large frying pan, add the oil and bacon strips and fry for 5 minutes or until golden while stirring.
  • Add the leeks and continue to fry for 5-10 minutes until softened.
  • Now add the mushrooms and fry for a further 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the double cream, milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder, paprika and 50g of cheese and stir and simmer for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
  • Add the pasta to a large baking dish and pour the creamy leeks on top and mix in the water.
  • Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
  • Remove, stir and top with the remaining cheese and bake for a final 20 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Video

Notes

  • No need to follow the pasta packet instructions as we use water and milk to cook right in the sauce
  • Don't be tempted to use solely milk to cook the pasta as the sugars may catch at the bottom of the casserole dish
  • If you find your oven is running hot, next time, cover it with tinfoil for the first stage.

Nutrition

Calories: 918kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 933mg | Potassium: 539mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1703IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 393mg | Iron: 2mg