Colman's Creamy Cheese and Bacon Pasta

Over the last year my love for pasta has grown. Not just due to taste but also the ease of preparation and the variety of different sauces that make each dish different from the last. Up until last week I’d always bought jars of sauce and so was a little weary when my other half brought home a packet for me to try. The Colman’s product was a creamy cheese and pasta sauce mix for bacon, mushroom and pasta – mouth wateringly tasty just thinking about ...
...really don’t like soup you make from powder and thought this could be the same.

Preparation was fairly simple, although a bit of organisation would help in the long run. Whilst the instructions on the packet are easy to follow you’d be better off reading them through first so that you can do a few things at once. Firstly start to cook the pasta in the usual way according to the packet. At this point I’d recommend that you start preparing ... more

Over the last year my love for pasta has grown. Not just due to taste but also the ease of preparation and the variety of different sauces that make each dish different from the last. Up until last week I’d always bought jars of sauce and so was a little weary when my other half brought home a packet for me to try. The Colman’s product was a creamy cheese and pasta sauce mix for bacon, mushroom and pasta – mouth wateringly tasty just thinking about it! I think my main concerns were that I really don’t like soup you make from powder and thought this could be the same.

Preparation was fairly simple, although a bit of organisation would help in the long run. Whilst the instructions on the packet are easy to follow you’d be better off reading them through first so that you can do a few things at once. Firstly start to cook the pasta in the usual way according to the packet. At this point I’d recommend that you start preparing the bacon (6 rashers) and mushrooms (4oz) ready for frying (or grilling) and so when the pasta is nearly cooked you can start cooking them. Whilst all this is going on you can start to get the sauce ready. Poor the contents of the sauce mix packet into a saucepan and add some of the ¾ pint milk so that you can stir it in, when this is done add the rest of the milk and stir thoroughly. Put this on the hob and bring to the boil, stirring as you go. When the bacon and mushrooms are cooked slice them up and add them to the boiling mix – again stirring in. Simmer for one minute and then the sauce will be ready.

At this point it says you should pour the sauce over the pasta ready for serving but personally I feel that to give the pasta more flavour and a chance to absorb some of the sauce, you should mix it altogether on the hob and simmer for a couple of minutes. It is suggested that you could serve it with crispy bread and a side salad – although it tastes equally nice served on its own. The sauce itself contains onions, black pepper and parsley but none are traceable on their own as they are so well blended in.

Throughout the cooking process the smell is divine. Firstly you get a rich creamy cheese smell from the sauce, which is then joined by that Sunday morning fry-up smell from the bacon and mushrooms.

What is really great about using this type of sauce is that you get to add the main ingredients yourself. Not only can you add as much or as little bacon and mushroom as you wish, but also get to make sure they are fresh and chopped to the size that suits you. There is nothing worse than getting those jars or pre-prepared sauces only find two or three pieces of the main ingredient. Personally I like extra large pieces so that you can really taste them when you’re eating them with the pasta and feel the different textures.

The taste of the sauce is simply beautiful and the sauce is thick and creamy and sticks to the pasta rather than running through your fork - like some of the watery variations. The freshness of the bacon and mushrooms also comes through – especially if you add extra!! The cheese in the sauce is so creamy yet it doesn’t overpower the rest of the dish and the bigger chunks of mushroom and bacon help to break up that flavour even more. When you’ve had it once you can get a feel for the amount of ingredients you use. Personally I use the specified amount of milk but to change the thickness of the sauce you can increase/decrease as and when, same with the pasta.

Although it is simple to prepare I must admit that the big downer compared to the jars is the extra preparation time, the pressure to get everything down on time, and I won’t even mention the extra washing up!! However, the thickness of the sauce, the freshness and personal preferences made in preparation of the ingredients, make it an excellent meal well worth the extra time and effort in the kitchen.

Every 33% of the mix contains 66 calories and 2.8g fat of which 1.3g are saturates. There are no artificial colourings.

The 50g packets are available at most supermarkets and although at around sixty pence each they are much cheaper than most jar versions you must take into account all the extra ingredients that need to be purchased. I’d say with the recommended ingredients on the packet you’d easily get two servings, possibly three depending on your appetite! The long best buy date is a bonus and I will now be stocking up on these as they are much easier to store than jars. The range of packet sauces from Colman’s is quite extensive from other pasta options to meat ones as well…all of which I hope to sample soon!

 

...less