Creamy Fettuccine with Shrimp and Bacon

Well, I want to like this. It has shrimp and bacon. But once again, I'm liking spinach fettuccine so much better. This one had too much shrimpy flavor. D thought it was the way it was prepared.

Maybe if it had Old Bay on it, it would be good. However, I doubt we will try. We'll just go with spinach fettuccine.

We had with spinach salad.

Creamy Fettuccine with Shrimp and Bacon

Cook the fettuccine al dente so the strands remain intact and maintain their slightly firm texture.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups pasta and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley)

1 pound uncooked fettuccine
2 bacon slices (uncooked)
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside.

Add shrimp and garlic to pan; sauté over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add peas and carrot; cook 2 minutes or just until shrimp are done. Transfer shrimp mixture to a large bowl; keep warm.

Combine milk, flour, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove pan from heat; add cheese, stirring until blended. Add milk mixture to shrimp mixture; stir until combined. Add pasta and 1/4 cup parsley, tossing gently to coat. Transfer pasta mixture to a platter, or divide evenly among each of 8 plates; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup parsley and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.

Wine note: While Heidi's pairing choice of sauvignon blanc is fine, the creaminess of this pasta dish is beautifully enhanced by chardonnay--a wine with its own creaminess. A delicious, food-friendly find is Santa Rita Chardonnay "120" from the Maipo Valley of Chile. The 2004 is just $8. -Karen MacNeil

CALORIES 382 (18% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 3.7g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.5g); IRON 4.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 101mg; CALCIUM 218mg; CARBOHYDRATE 52.9g; SODIUM 505mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 3.6g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2005