Creamy Oat Cream Pasta with crunchy green Salad

I remember tasting Oatly for the first time at FBC earlier this year, it was a very pleasant taste, the chocolate one even better. All of us at Food Blogger connect this year got a generous bag of Oatly products to take home. The ‘milk’ went used up pretty quickly so I went and got us some more but the Organic Creamy Oat, basically a single cream, I was waiting to experiment with. Since the product is bursting with the goodness of all things organic and is dairy-free I thought why not keep everything about this pasta gluten and dairy-free. So I got some Lactofree mature cheddar cheese and also some pasta which is made from Italian rice and corn, therefore, making it dairy and gluten-free. Oatly cream uses organic rapeseed oil so my cooking medium is …you guessed that right organic rapeseed oil! And since the cream also contains sea salt as one of the ingredients I have used my trusty smoked Maldon sea salt in here too 🙂

This pasta dish can’t get any better, can it? Ok, wait till you hear what OatLy Creamy Oat is all about…It’s made in Sweden using entirely organic ingredients. The fat content is absurdly low 3% over 9.6% in regular cream. Besides, it tastes like cream made from cow’s milk and is packed with fibres.

Ingredients – For the pasta

• Dairy and Gluten-free fusilli Pasta 150 gm
• Smoked Bacon 200gm
• 1/2 of a 250 ml tetra pack OatLy cream
• a bunch of spring onions
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 cloves of garlic with their skins on
• Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs 1 each
• a pinch red chilli flakes
• Maldon sea salt to taste

Method –  For the pasta

• Boil the pasta in a saucepan with some rapeseed oil and allow it to cook completely. Sprinkle some sea salt into the water while it is boiling.
• While the pasta is boiling get started with preparing the sauce. Chop the spring onion into bite-size pieces.
• In another saucepan add 1 tbsp olive oil and place on a medium heat, when the oil is hot, crush the garlic with the skin on and add into the hot oil.
• Allow the garlic to brown and then add the spring onion when the onion begins to change colour add the bacon pieces and reduce the flame.

• Let the bacon cook for about 5 minutes until it turns crisp and yummy while stirring occasionally till ensuring it doesn’t get burnt.

•  Reduce the flame and then pour the Oatly oat cream into the bacon mixture and add a sprig each of thyme and rosemary.
• Cover the saucepan and allow to cook for about 2 – 3 minutes.
• Add freshly crushed black pepper and sea salt to taste and some chilli flakes.
• In a plate add the cooked pasta after draining excess water and pour the bacon and cream mixture over the top.

The oat cream will give you a  thick creamy sauce and the smoked bacon adds deep, rich flavours to this pasta dish. It is great for those who are lactose intolerant or those simply looking for a switch. Add some grated lacto-free cheese for a truly cheesy and deliciously satisfying pasta carbonara. I know this dish isn’t vegan because of the bacon so if you want to make a vegan version using smoked paprika breadcrumbs for the texture and smoky taste, also to replace eggs and go vegan use soft tofu puree. I have skipped using eggs and honestly, I didn’t miss them at all in the sauce. So it is not really a carbonara but yes it’s just as silky and creamy and smoky and yummalicious ! 🙂

Ingredients – For the salad

• 1 medium-sized white onion
• 8 juicy cherry tomatoes
• 8 chestnut mushrooms
• 1/2 a bag of crunchy mixed salad leaves
• 8 stems of tender purple asparagus
• 8 stems of tender purple broccoli
• Cranberry flavoured vinegar
• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Maldon smoked sea salt to taste

Method –  For the salad

• Chop the tender stem purple asparagus roughly into bite-size pieces keeping the spearhead intact, do the same with tender stem purple broccoli. I loved the colour so I picked purple, its absolutely fine to go with the regular green stuff but the colours in this finished salad are so vibrant! Set aside and move onto the mushrooms and onion now.
• Chop the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, then chop the onion in half and then slice it fine lengthwise
• In a saucepan heat the olive oil.
• Saute the garlic with skin on in the hot oil and when it turns brown add the mushrooms in. Let them cook for about 1/2 a  minute.
•  Add the onion, asparagus and broccoli into the saucepan and stir for about 1  minute on a low flame we don’t want the greens and the onion to cook and loose the crunch and bite, just give them a bit of flavour so they sit well with the leaves.
• Take the saucepan off the bowl and allow to cool.

• In a salad bowl was and add the salad leaves, give them a good slosh of cranberry vinegar, sea salt and cracked black pepper and give them a good old’ shake so that the vinegar coats the leaves well.
• Place the green and onion over the salad leaves and throw in some juicy red cherry tomatoes on a vine or salad tomatoes into the salad. Give another sprinkling of Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
• If you want to bulk up this salad add 2 boiled eggs halved on top and serve with a cheesy bread or focaccia as a side with a creamy mushroom or chicken soup for a wholesome but light and healthy meal option! Keep the bulked-up version of this salad vegan, again by replacing boiled eggs with fresh large chunks of tofu.
• This salad is bursting with goodness and packs in a great punch of flavour with the cranberry flavoured vinegar and the meaty mushrooms and crunchy tender stem asparagus  and broccoli feel so lush together when you bite into them ummmmm

I am quite happy with the end result of this pasta and have another 250 ml tetra pack of Oatly Creamy Oat to experiment …wonder what will come out of that lovely little pack, now where is my thinking cap ?!