Fast Penne Alfredo with sausage, bacon and corn
Penne alfredo with sausage, bacon, and corn is one of my favorite creamy pasta dishes. It’s fast, it’s simple and it packs a lot of flavors. Stove to the table in less than 15 minutes it’s certainly a crowd-pleasing comfort food. The smokey, rustic sausage and the bacon when they come together in the pan they produce a very tasty combination that certainly leaves no palate indifferent. At this point, I should also mention that this sauce is created with NO oil and NO salt how cool is that?! With only 4 ingredients it is very important to use top-quality ingredients to create it. I always try to cook with the best ingredients I can get because I am a firm believer that your plate’s deliciousness depends greatly on them! This post is NOT sponsored by any of the brands mentioned below; they are just my personal preferences. Try them and let me know what you think!
What pasta can you use for this recipe?
You can make this dish with any pasta but I prefer penne rigate because of their wavy-cut that captures the sauce on their surface instead of falling on the plate. If you plan to make this recipe and eat it right away then you can mix the sauce with the penne; otherwise, I would advise you to keep them separate for smoother reheating purposes.
2 sausage types that go well with this recipe of Penne Alfredo
1) Greek country-style sausage.
One of my favorite sausages to make this recipe is with the Moutevelis* Greek country-style leek sausage which has a unique spiciness and smokey flavor. Their secret on producing such a premium quality sausage is an old traditional Greek recipe originating in Agrafa, Thessaly, which combines coarsely chopped pork cuts flavored with leeks and other aromatics, smoked with Beechwood. Because of its fine aromas and smokey flavor, I believe it is the best sausage for this dish.
2) Spanish Chorizo sausage.
Another good sausage you can use for this dish is the Spanish Chorizo which is also created from coarsely chopped pork and usually flavored with paprika and garlic. Chorizo is best cooked fried where it releases its rich aromas and enhances the flavor of any ingredient you choose to combine it with.
What bacon should you use?
When bacon it’s concerned everyone has their favorites so I’m sure you won’t find it difficult to get a good piece of bacon wherever you live. I use the thin-sliced smoked bacon as my preferred choice for this dish. What is important and you should know is that we must not let the bacon crisp for this recipe. We want the bacon to get a little browning but still to remain soft so we can get the maximum flavor out of it. This of course is my personal preference and recommendation. If you are a die-hard crisp bacon fan by all means go with whatever rocks your boat!
What cheese should you choose?
I would recommend a not very salty cheese for this recipe because the sausage and the bacon have enough salt already. I use Reggato Kerrygold* cheese most of the time which is an Irish brand of hard yellow cheese with a fresh piquant flavor and it’s more on the neutral side when it comes to saltiness.
What cream goes well with this recipe?
There are so many cream brands out there how to know which one to use for this recipe? For cooking, if you ask me it all comes down to 3 types: The runny, the very thick cream, and the regular cream. For this recipe, you should use a regular cream also called whipping cream or Double cream.
Fast Penne Alfredo with sausage, bacon and corn
Ingredients:
- 500g Penne Rigate
- 500g Whipping cream or Double cream
- 250g Smoked Bacon
- 2 country style Sausage (6-8 cm long)
- 1 handful grated cheese of your choosing (30g)
- 1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
- 1/2 Tbsp butter (for the pasta)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (for the pasta)
- A pinch of freshly grounded Black Pepper
Instructions:
- Cut the bacon into small square slices
- Cook your pasta al dente in salted water according to the instructions of the package.
- When they are ready, drain them, put them back in the pot with ½ Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil and stir well so all the pasta gets a nice coating.
- Brown the bacon in a non-stick saucepan* over high heat and when it’s ready remove it into a plate.
- Brown the sausages in the same pan and then remove them on a cutting board and cut them in rounds.
- Add the corn to the pan, stir a little and then add the bacon, the sausage slices, the whipping cream, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat
- Add the cheese and stir well until it’s melted and the sauce thickens. Your sauce is ready!
Notes:
- If you sauté the bacon first in a non stick pan it will release plenty of oil and there is no need to add any extra for this recipe.
- I do not use salt at all for the sauce of this recipe because the sausage and bacon are very salty ingredients in their nature. If you choose to make this dish with any other special type of unsalted sausage or bacon then feel free to add salt to taste.
Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!
