Carbonara Pasta with Bacon and Leeks

When the going gets tough, the tough has to cook fast!!! Really! Easy to prepare dishes and those with simple recipes are needed by busy moms. Pastas are great time-savers. They can be one-dish nutritious meal for the whole family.

Here's one of those presto pasta I tweaked myself. So simple, it uses just 5 ingredients, all readily available in your pantry.


1 pack (300 gms) linguini, cooked to package directions

1 can (15 oz) cream of mushroom soup
12 pcs button mushrooms, sliced
200 gms bacon, chopped
2 stalks leeks, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the bacon in a cooking pan until browned. Set aside half for topping, leave half in the pan.

2. Saute the leeks with the bacon bits inside the pan until softened. Add in the chopped button mushrooms and the cream of mushroom soup.

3. Using the empty can, measure 1/2 to 3/4 can of water and add into the cooking mushroom soup. Let boil, mixing well until the canned cream of mushroom soup is well-dispersed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Arrange some linguini in a serving plate, top with the sauce and sprinkle the bacon bits on top.



The sauce is flavorful because we let some of the bacon meat boil with it. And the bacon bits topping gave the crunchy texture, and salty surprise to the pasta. Not bad for a dish made in a hurry. :) In fact, Daughter declared it yummy! If my diners are happy, then the busy chef is happy, too!

The parmesan cheese!!! I forgot the parmesan cheese! :)


Sharing this presto pasta dish with the Presto Pasta Nights family, headed by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. This week's host is the untiring World Food Day event and BloggerAid chief, Ivy of Kopiaste.




If you would notice my sidebar has this BloggerAid widget for several months now. I am a proud member of BloggerAid. BloggerAid is a network of bloggers who would like to help in the alleviation of hunger worldwide. We, food bloggers always have food on the table. We blog about it. And yet, there are millions of hungry and starving people out there, not just in Africa, in famine-stricken lands, or in war-torn lands. Hunger is also present in our own neighborhood, even in the first world. BloggerAid aims to increase awareness about world hunger and do something about it. Would you like to join this worthy cause? Please drop by and visit BloggerAid.

The most concrete project we have is in making a cookbook! (Did you notice I have another new widget on my sidebar?) The proceeds and earnings of the cookbook will go to our selected beneficiaries at the World Food Program of the United Nations.



Who will the writing the cookbook? All of us, food bloggers, that's who. Each one of us can easily contribute a recipe. Together, we can make this a successful endeavor! Would you like to have your recipe published? Join us and be a part of this cookbook team while helping to feed the hungry people of the world. Just click on the widget on my sidebar or here on BloggerAid to read more about the details.

Another project BloggerAid has is holding monthly food events aiming to increase awareness on world hunger. This month, Joan of Foodalogue is taking a tour around the world (different countries) and tasting each countries' dishes. Next month, I'll be hosting the event! So, please watch out for that. If you would like to host an event, please check out BloggerAid again. :)

Here's an interesting news article I found: "World Food Program Targets Mindanao." Mindanao is in Southern Philippines, where battles between the government and insurgents take place. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Hunger and malnutrition remain the biggest health risk worldwide. They even surpass AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, claiming one life every 5 seconds, according to World Food Program (WFP) statistics.

The Philippines is not spared from this global problem, which is particularly rampant in Mindanao. As of WFP’s latest assessment mission, 60 percent of Mindanao households have very poor access to food, while 30 percent take life-threatening risks to meet daily food needs.

It was in this light that Pizza Hut and Taco Bell teamed up with WFP and National Ambassador Against Hunger KC Concepcion in a donation drive for afflicted areas in Mindanao. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut accepted donations that would provide rice to nearly 187,000 students in 800 schools, and hot meals in 277 schools and day care centers serving 16,000 children.

You, too, can help WFP spread awareness about hunger. Check out their website to see other WFP programs that will benefit those suffering from hunger in Mindanao.


It is surprising to learn that our Philippine national ambassador against hunger is KC Concepcion. She is the very pretty and talented daughter of the mega-star (singer and actress) Sharon Cuneta. She comes from a well-to-do family. In fact, she studied in Paris. And yet, she is also doing her part in helping alleviate hunger in the world. You should, too!