An amazing recipe for “Crazy Alfredo” combines classic Italian flavors with unexpected accents.
This dish exquisitely combines the tenderness of cream sauce with the piquancy of red peppers, the flavor of shiitake mushrooms and the saltiness of bacon or pancetta.
The use of gorgonzola and parmesan cheese adds a deep cheesy note, while the core of artichokes brings a slight freshness.
This dish is perfect for a cozy dinner at home or an impressive dinner with friends.
⏱ Cooking time — 30 minutes overall. Includes 20 minutes of preparation and cooking + 10 minutes unattended.
🔪 Ingredients
For 3-4 servings:
(for a large group, just double the amount of ingredients)
- 250 g (8 ⅚ oz) of your favorite pasta (e.g. fettuccine, penne or spaghetti)
- 200 ml (~1 cup) heavy cream (33%)
- 30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) grated Parmesan cheese
- 35 g (1 ¼ oz) gorgonzola (or other blue or green mold cheese)
- 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) marinated artichokes
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, for spiciness)
- 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) bacon or pancetta
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) shiitake mushrooms (you can substitute other mushrooms to your liking)
- salt and black pepper to taste
🥣 Directions
👉 Jump to Short Version of RecipeIngredient Preparation
Dice 100 g (3 ½ oz) shiitake mushrooms, and remove the stems.
Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic.
Cut 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) cooked bacon or pancetta into thin strips.
Slice 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) of marinated artichokes randomly.
Pasta cooking
Put a pan of water on the heat and salt generously. Bring to the boil, add 250 g (8 ⅚ oz) of your favorite pasta and cook for a minute and a half less than it says on the package. Once you’ve added the pasta – cover with a lid to bring the water back to the boil quickly. When it boils – remove the lid and stir the pasta so it doesn’t stick together.
When the pasta is ready – save some of the water in which it was boiled (about 150 ml). Remove the pasta from the heat and drain in a colander.
Drizzle with olive oil and stir.
Preparing the sauce
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
Place the bacon in a cold frying pan and turn on a low heat.
When some of the fat has melted off, add 30 g (1 oz) of unsalted butter and melt it, increase the heat to medium.
Add the sliced mushrooms and let them fry for a couple of minutes without stirring. Afterward, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and artichokes, and cook stirring for about 1 minute.
Final step
Pour 200 ml (~1 cup) of heavy cream into the pan and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and add 50 g (1 ¾ oz) of grated parmesan cheese and 35 g (1 ¼ oz) of gorgonzola, stir and salt to taste.
Pour in about 50 ml of the water in which the pasta was cooked, stir and assess the consistency, if the sauce seems thick, add more water.
Add the pasta and cook for about a minute, stirring.
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Pasta Crazy Alfredo
Ingredients
- 250 g your favorite pasta (e.g. fettuccine, penne or spaghetti)
- 200 ml heavy cream (33%)
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 35 g gorgonzola (or other blue or green mold cheese)
- 40 g marinated artichokes
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, for spiciness)
- 40 g bacon or pancetta
- 100 g shiitake mushrooms (you can substitute other mushrooms to your liking)
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems, chop the garlic finely, cut the bacon into thin strips, cut the artichokes randomly.
- Boil water, salt, cook the pasta for a minute less than the specified time, save some of the cooking water.
- In a pan over low heat, fry the bacon, add butter. Fry the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and artichokes and cook for about a minute, stirring.
- Pour in the cream, add the parmesan and gorgonzola, stirring until smooth. Add 50 ml of the pasta water, if the sauce seems thick, add more water.Combine the pasta with the sauce, cook stirring for about a minute or two. If necessary, add more cooking water for the perfect sauce consistency.
