Skip to main content
Preserve

Four-cheese Bow Ties with Canadian Bacon

A pasta dish of bow tie noodles tossed in a creamy four‑cheese sauce with Canadian bacon and basil.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Romano cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 103 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Four-cheese Bow Ties with Canadian Bacon

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pasta

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Make the cheese sauce

  1. While pasta is cooking, heat half and half in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat but do not boil.

  2. Add all cheeses, then reduce heat, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth.

  3. Remove from heat, then pour over well-drained pasta and toss.

Finish and serve

  1. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, Canadian bacon and basil.

  2. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

526Calories
34 gProtein
41 gFat
4 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Romano Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Swiss Cheese1 oz (28g)108
Blue Cheese1 oz (28g)100
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Romano cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together103 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Swiss cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together151 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Swiss cheese + romano cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Blue cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Blue cheese + romano cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Blue cheese
Adds a sharp, tangy flavor that stands out against the milder cheeses.
Swiss cheese
Melts smoothly into the sauce and adds a nutty, mellow flavor.
Romano cheese
Adds salty, sharp flavor and helps the sauce season and thicken as it melts.
Half and half
Provides fat and moisture so the cheese melts into a smooth, creamy sauce.

The step that matters

Add the cheeses over reduced heat and stir constantly. High heat or a boil makes dairy proteins tighten and cheese fats separate, turning the sauce grainy or oily. Gentle heat and constant stirring let the cheeses melt evenly into a smooth emulsion.

Swap the basil

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (blue cheese, swiss cheese, romano cheese, parmesan cheese):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Pepperfits better
  3. Celeryfits about as well
  4. Basilthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against blue cheese, swiss cheese, romano cheese, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Green Corn PuddingGreen Corn Pudding64 recipesCornmeal mushCornmeal mush12 recipes