I made Mary Berry's 15-minute pasta recipe and it was even easier to make than I had expected.
Mary Berry is a British cooking icon. Action Images / Henry Browne Livepic/Reuters
When searching for new lunch recipes, I always look for something that's quick, easy, and of course, delicious. So when I found Mary Berry's 15-minute pasta recipe with Parma ham and mushrooms, I knew I had to try it.
The recipe is ideal for "everyday or for casual supper parties," Berry wrote alongside the recipe shared on BBC Food. I tried the recipe earlier this week, and loved the final result.
To make the pasta, I gathered six ingredients.
Mary Berry's pasta recipe calls for just a couple of ingredients. Mikhaila Friel/Insider
The recipe serves six portions, so feel free to tweak the measurements as you see fit. Here are the ingredients required:
- 350 grams of penne pasta
- 80 grams of Parma ham
- 250 grams of small brown chestnut mushrooms
- 200 grams full-fat or reduced-fat crème fraîche
- 100 grams of grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley.
While waiting for the pasta to boil, I prepared the ingredients.
The sliced mushrooms. Mikhaila Friel/Insider
I sliced the mushrooms into quarters without removing the stems and cut the Parma ham into small strips, as per Berry's instructions. Meanwhile, the pasta took around 10 minutes to cook.
I fried the Parma ham until crisp.
The Parma ham. Mikhaila Friel/Insider
The next step involved frying the Parma ham until crisp and then transferring half of it onto a plate. After that, I added the mushrooms to the pan and fried them for two minutes.
And finally, I stirred in the crème fraîche sauce.
Stirring in the crème fraîche. Mikhaila Friel/Insider
If using full-fat crème fraîche, Berry suggests adding it to the mushrooms and Parma ham and bringing it to a boil before adding the pasta, Parmesan, and parsley.
However, because I used reduced-fat crème fraîche, I took the pan off the hob and stirred it in at the end of cooking to avoid it splitting.
The final result was delicious.
The pasta was delicious. Mikhaila Friel/Insider
After mixing the crème fraîche with the pasta and Parmesan, I added the remaining Parma ham and parsley.
In total, it took me around 25 minutes including prep time — just slightly longer than Berry's suggested 15 minutes — but it tasted as if it would have taken far longer to make.
The final result was delicious. While the recipe calls for traditional seasoning, such as salt and pepper, I found that it didn't need it due to the salty flavor of the Parma ham. And the crunchy texture of the ham went well with the creamy sauce.
It was the ideal lazy girl lunch, and I can't wait to make it again soon.
Thelife1 min read
