When browsing the internet for recipe ideas, one ingredient that kept popping up was Philadelphia cheese. I decided I would buy some and give it a taste. I have had Philadelphia before in cupcake icing and cheesecakes, but I can’t think of a time where I have used it in a savoury context, maybe I am wrong.

There are loads of Philadelphia recipes online on their official webpage, but also advertised by supermarkets and even some chefs. Buying both the sweet chilli and garlic & herb soft cheese, I decided to try a carbonara first. The recipe I used was from Tesco, but I am pretty sure they’re all similar.

The ingredients I used were:
– Mushrooms
– Bacon
– Spaghetti
– Philadelphia
– Milk
– Parmesan*

*I cheated a bit on the parmesan and bought grana padano, but it is the same kind of cheese so it worked just as well!

As usual I didn’t follow the menu to a T, this was mainly because I hadn’t read it properly, and ended up cooking the bacon a bit differently- I will explain as I go through my steps.

So, to start off the dish, I put my spaghetti on to boil, adding a little salt to the water for taste. In a separate pan I added chopped mushrooms and a drizzle of oil, lightly frying until brown.

Now this is where I switched it up a bit. Instead of grilling the bacon until crispy and crumbly, I cut it into little strips and added it to the mushrooms. I liked the saltiness of the bacon alongside the soft mushrooms, so maybe I even improved the dish?? However, if I had properly read about grilling the bacon, I would’ve given it a go- I’ll know for next time.

In another bowl (there was a lot of washing up required after this!) I combined the Philadelphia and my semi grated parmesan.

Once the spaghetti had cooked I drained the pasta, saving about 1/2cup of the water.  In the mushroom and bacon pan, I added the pasta and the cheese mixture, stirring well over the heat to ensure all the cheese had melted and combined. As I stirred in the cheese I poured in the leftover pasta water which gave the overall meal more flavour.

The recipe was really simple, despite all of pots and pans used, and I will definitely make it again. As I bought all of the ingredients in separate shops, I have estimated the price as around 80p per portion.

I was impressed by the soft cheese, and at only £1 for a tub, it is great value. Looking at all the recipes it seems very versatile too, and I am looking forward to using the sweet chilli one!

Recipe link: https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/carbonara-style-garlic-herb-philadelphia-pasta-recipe.html