Aldo Zilli's pappardelle with pancetta, pesto & mushrooms

Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli has devised this recipe that tastes delicious, is ready in a flash and costs under £1 per serving!

Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: about 10 mins
Serves: 4
Costing: £0.94 per serving

Nutritional information:
Energy(kcal) 486
Protein 22.0
Fat (g) 20.8
Of which saturates (g) 6.6
Carbohydrate (g) 56.1
Of which sugars (g) 2.8
Fibre (g) 2.9
Salt (g) 1.7
One of your 5-A-DAY

What you need:

• 300g/11oz pappardelle, fettucine or other ribbon pasta
• 150g/5oz smoked bacon or pancetta, sliced
• 250g pack of closed cup or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 60ml/4 tbsp fresh pesto (see below)
• parmesan cheese to serve

For the pesto:

• 25g/1oz fresh basil leaves
• 30ml/2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 150ml/1/4pt extra virgin olive oil
• 25g/1oz Parmesan, freshly grated
• 75g/3oz Pecorino, freshly grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do:

1. First make the pesto; blitz all ingredients together in a food processor. If keeping for a while, store in an airtight container with a little olive oil, drizzled over the top.
2. Cook the pappardelle in boiling salted water for 6 mins or according to pack instructions until ‘al dente'. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and add the pancetta. Fry for 2 mins until the fat begins to run, then add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally for 6-8 mins or until the mushrooms and pancetta are golden. Season with plenty of ground black pepper.
3. Drain the pasta and immediately add to the mushroom pan, then add the pesto and toss well over the heat for a further minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Handy cook's tip:

Pesto sauce usually combines pecorino and parmesan cheese, but if you can't find it just use all parmesan cheese instead. Alternatively, use ready made pesto sauce.

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