Ingredients

Method

• 500 g Woolworths Italian bronze die-cut rigatoni
• 250 g Woolworths wood-smoked bacon
• 1 T olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 200 g baby leeks, sliced
• 5 g rosemary
• 4 chopped garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 340 ml jar Woolworths champignon pasta sauce
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 100 g Woolworths Maasdam cheese or white Cheddar, grated
• 250 g large brown mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup cream

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cook the pasta until just cooked, but do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place the bacon in a large, deep baking tray with 1 T olive oil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the tray and add the leeks, rosemary and garlic and bake again for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and add the pasta sauce and cooked pasta, toss to coat evenly, spread in an even layer and season to taste.
4. Sprinkle over the cheese, arrange the mushrooms over the bake and pour over the cream. Drizzle with olive oil or add a few knobs of butter and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle over the bacon and serve hot with a green salad or steamed broccoli tossed in olive oil and lemon juice.

Cook's note: If cooking for one, halve the recipe quantity and you’ll have dinner for two nights. Freeze the remaining bacon and use leftover mushrooms, pasta sauce and cream to make a creamy mushroom soup. Fry leeks with mushrooms and garlic, then add cream, the pasta sauce and some stock. Blend and serve warm.

Find more pasta recipes here.

Photograph: Andrea Van Der Spuy