# Creamy Bacon and Asparagus Spaghetti

A quick one-pan cream sauce built to use up the green asparagus (expiring first) and the bacon, with plenty of onion and some tender young cabbage for bulk. Crumbled Bulgarian сирене (cow's-milk white brined cheese) stands in for parmesan and brings a salty, tangy punch. Serves ~2.

## Ingredients

**From inventory:**
- [ ] ~250g spaghetti `ID:spaghetti-lidl-0117` (food2-box, bb:2028-10-14)
- [ ] ~150g bacon `ID:bacon-pikok` (pantry-fridge, no bb — cook through; it's the cooked-smoked Pikok bacon)
- [ ] ~250g green asparagus (half the 500g pack) `ID:asparagus-2026-06-06` (pantry-fridge, bb:2026-06-13) ⚠️ expiring — use it
- [ ] 1 large onion `ID:onion-2026-05-23` (pantry-behind-stove, bb:2026-06-23) ⚠️ expiring
- [ ] Olive oil `ID:oliveoil-costadoro` (pantry-spice-stove, bb:2027)
- [ ] Coarse/sea salt `ID:salt-coarse` (F-03) — go very easy, the сирене and bacon are both salty
- [ ] Black pepper `ID:pepper-black-harmony` (F-13, bb:2028)
- [ ] A little freshly grated nutmeg `ID:nutmeg-kania` (whole — grate a pinch; bb:2029-08)
- [ ] ~½ tsp sweet paprika `ID:paprika-sweet-kania` (F-13, bb:2027)

**Bought today (2026-06-07, Lidl Varna — inventory entry pending):**
- [ ] ~200ml cooking cream (Готварска сметана 22%)
- [ ] ~150–200g young cabbage (Ранно зеле), shredded thin
- [ ] ~50–80g Bulgarian сирене (Краве сирене ЗНП — cow's-milk white brined cheese), crumbled — replaces parmesan
- [ ] A few cloves fresh garlic (Пресен чесън)

**Preparation needed:**
- [ ] Snap off the woody bottom ends of the asparagus; cut stalks into ~3cm pieces, keeping tips separate (they cook faster).
- [ ] Shred the cabbage thin (~½cm ribbons), discarding the tough core.

## Equipment

Boat kitchen: one pot for the pasta + one frying pan for the sauce. No oven, microwave or blender needed.

## Instructions

1. Prep first (no rushing once the pan is hot): dice the onion, mince the garlic, chop the bacon into lardons, trim and cut the asparagus (tips separate), shred the cabbage.
2. Put a pot of well-salted water on to boil for the spaghetti.
3. In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the bacon in a little olive oil until it starts to render and crisp, ~4–5 min. (Pikok bacon is pre-cooked, so this is mostly for colour and fat.)
4. Add the onion, then the cabbage. Cook until both soften and the cabbage starts to sweeten, ~7–8 min. Add the garlic for the last minute so it doesn't burn.
5. Add the asparagus *stalk* pieces, fry ~3 min. Add the *tips*, fry ~2 min more — they should stay bright green and a little crisp.
6. Start the spaghetti now; it needs ~9–10 min. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
7. Pour the cream into the pan, lower the heat, and let it warm through and thicken slightly, ~2–3 min. Stir in the sweet paprika and a small grating of nutmeg, season with black pepper — but hold back on salt (the сирене coming next is salty, as is the bacon).
8. Toss the drained spaghetti into the sauce, loosen with a splash of pasta water until it coats nicely. Crumble in most of the сирене and stir until it softens into the sauce; taste, then adjust salt only if needed.
9. Serve with the last of the сирене crumbled on top.

## Variations

> **Note:** Classic versions lean on garlic and white wine; with this much onion in the boat you can skip both. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the cream nicely if you have one.

> **No-shopping fallback:** Without cream, make it a simple olive-oil/garlic (aglio e olio) style toss with the bacon, cabbage and asparagus, and finish with extra pasta water and crumbled сирене.

## Items used from inventory

| Item | ID | Location | Status |
|------|-----|----------|--------|
| Spaghetti | spaghetti-lidl-0117 | food2-box | bb:2028-10-14 |
| Bacon (Pikok) | bacon-pikok | pantry-fridge | no bb |
| Green asparagus | asparagus-2026-06-06 | pantry-fridge | bb:2026-06-13 ⚠️ |
| Onion | onion-2026-05-23 | pantry-behind-stove | bb:2026-06-23 ⚠️ |
| Olive oil | oliveoil-costadoro | pantry-spice-stove | bb:2027 |
| Nutmeg (whole) | nutmeg-kania | F-13 | bb:2029-08 |
| Sweet paprika | paprika-sweet-kania | F-13 | bb:2027 |

Plus, bought 2026-06-07 (inventory entry pending): cooking cream 22%, young cabbage, Bulgarian сирене, fresh garlic.

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*Generated 2026-06-06 to use expiring asparagus (bb:2026-06-13) and bacon before the next dinner; revised 2026-06-07 with cabbage, сирене (replacing parmesan), nutmeg and sweet paprika after the Lidl Varna shop.*