Bacon Pasta

Bacon Pasta is a 100% simple and delicious dinner recipe that the entire family will fall in love with. Spaghetti pasta is tossed with crispy bacon in a garlic parmesan sauce.

5 from 12 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 519 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

16 oz spaghetti
10 slices bacon
½ cup butter
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

In a large pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti pasta according to package instructions. When done drain the pasta, reserving at least 3 cups of pasta water for use in the sauce.
To a large pan add bacon strips and cook until crispy (about 6-8 minutes), flipping halfway through. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside.
Leaving the leftover bacon bits in the bottom of the pan, drain about half of the bacon grease. Add a small amount of pasta water to the pan and deglaze, scrape off any bits that are stuck to the bottom.
Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the minced garlic, salt and black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat.
Pour 2 cups of pasta water into the pan and stir. Slowly add the grated parmesan cheese, about ½ cup at a time. Whisk constantly as the cheese is added and until it completely melts into the liquid.
Add the cooked spaghetti and parmesan butter sauce to a serving dish. Break the cooked bacon into small pieces and toss with the spaghetti and sauce. If the pasta seems too dry, add more pasta water.Serve topped with fresh herbs if desired, such as basil, parsley or oregano.

Notes

Storing: bacon pasta keeps in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container.

Use any pasta: any shaped pasta works with this recipe, but I prefer using long pasta like fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti. Kids might also like wagon wheels, bow ties, and elbows.

Use freshly grated parmesan cheese: freshly grated parmesan will melt better than a bottle of grated parmesan cheese, so opt for it if you can.

Add plenty of table salt to the boiling pasta water. This will give a lot of flavor to the sauce and spaghetti alike.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ozCalories: 519kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 21gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 924mgPotassium: 306mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 248mgIron: 1mg