Creamy Blue Cheese Tagliatelle with Crisp Bacon

Creamy Blue Cheese Tagliatelle with Crisp Bacon 🍝 A silky, deeply savoury pasta for the nights when you want something fast but still properly satisfying. The blue cheese melts into warm cream, crisp bacon brings crunch, and parsley plus lemon zest keep the whole bowl bright rather than heavy. 🧀🥓 Yield: 2 generous servings Time: 25 minutes Ingredients: - 220 g tagliatelle or fettuccine - 120 g smoked bacon, cut into small strips - 160 ml double cream or heavy cream - 90 g creamy blue cheese, crumbled - 1 small garlic clove, finely grated - 1/2 tsp lemon zest, plus extra to serve - 2 tbsp chopped parsley - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp fine salt, only if needed - 120 ml reserved pasta water, added as needed - Bitter leaves or a small citrus salad, to serve Method: 1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Cook the tagliatelle until just al dente, then reserve a mug of the starchy pasta water before draining. 2. Meanwhile, place the bacon in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden, crisp at the edges and aromatic. Lift the bacon onto a plate and leave about 1 tsp of the bacon fat in the pan. 3. Lower the heat. Add the grated garlic and stir for 20-30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in the cream and warm it gently until steaming, not bubbling hard. 4. Crumble in the blue cheese and stir until it melts into a glossy sauce. Keep the heat low here - boiling can make the sauce split. 5. Add the drained pasta to the sauce with a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss for 1-2 minutes until every ribbon is coated. Add more pasta water a little at a time until the sauce looks silky and loose enough to glide. 6. Fold through most of the crisp bacon, parsley, black pepper and lemon zest. Taste before adding salt, because both bacon and blue cheese are already salty. 7. Serve immediately with the remaining bacon on top, extra parsley, a little more lemon zest and bitter leaves or a citrus salad on the side. 🌿 Serving and storage tips: - Best eaten straight away while the sauce is glossy. - If it thickens, loosen gently with hot pasta water or a splash of cream. - Leftovers can be reheated slowly with a little water, but the texture is best fresh. Save this for a creamy pasta night that still has crunch, brightness and balance. ✨ Tasteloom.club - easy recipes for everyday cravings