Creamy Bacon & Mushroom Cavatappi

🥘 Ingredients

• bacon
  4 strips
• button mushrooms
  8 oz
• cavatappi pasta
  8 oz
• cream cheese
  4 oz
• flour
  1 tbsp
• garlic herb butter
  2 tbsp
• milk
  1 c
• olive oil
  1 tbsp
• parmesan cheese
  ½ cup
• pepper
  1 tsp
• salt
  1 tsp
• scallions
  2 scallions

🍳 Cookware

• medium pot
• large pan
• bowls

1. 

   1

   Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. Trim and slice button mushrooms into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions , separating the whites from the greens.

   button mushrooms: 8 oz, scallions: 2 scallions
2. 

   2

   Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper . Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and slightly crispy ⏱️ 5 minutes . Turn off heat and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Wash out the pan.

   olive oil: 1 tbsp, salt: 1 tsp, pepper: 1 tsp
3. 

   3

   Once the water is boiling, add cavatappi pasta to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente ⏱️ 10 minutes . Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.

   cavatappi pasta: 8 oz
4. 

   4

   While the pasta cooks, melt garlic herb butter in the pan used for mushrooms over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and cook until just softened ⏱️ 1 minutes . Add flour and cook, stirring, until lightly browned ⏱️ 2 minutes . Whisk in milk and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, breaking up any flour clumps. Simmer until slightly thickened ⏱️ 3 minutes .

   garlic herb butter: 2 tbsp, flour: 1 tbsp, milk: 1 c
5. 

   5

   Stir cream cheese into the pan with the sauce until melted and combined. Stir in the mushrooms, drained cavatappi, and bacon . Season with salt and pepper. If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until the pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

   cream cheese: 4 oz, bacon: 4 strips
6. 

   6

   Divide the pasta between bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and scallion greens. Serve immediately.

   parmesan cheese: ½ cup