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.
This garlic Bacon Pasta recipe is comfort food at it's finest. Made with simple seasonings, crispy bacon, and lots of parmesan cheese and tender pasta, this dinner is ready to serve in only 30 minutes. It's one of our favorite pasta dinners, along with creamy fried spaghetti and butter spaghetti.
It's a family-friendly recipe that can be enjoyed as a full dinner. You can also add any fresh, steamed or pan-fried vegetables to the pasta for extra crunch and nutrients. Bacon pasta is delicious served with crusty bread, like Italian bread, garlic bread or cheese bread.
Ingredients
This bacon pasta recipe is made with only a few simple ingredients.
- Spaghetti pasta: although you can use any shape pasta that you'd like
- Bacon
- Butter: or you can use ghee or olive oil for a healthier version
- Garlic: fresh garlic cloves give the best flavor
- Parmesan cheese: use freshly shredded cheese from a block for the best outcome
- Salt and black pepper: I always prefer freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
STEP 1: 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.
STEP 2: 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.
STEP 3: 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.
STEP 4: 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.
STEP 5: 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.
STEP 6: 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.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
How To Store Bacon Pasta
Bacon pasta keeps in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
Freezing pasta is not recommended as the texture will soften, turning mushy. Bacon also does not retain it's crispiness when frozen after being cooked.
Yes, it can be reheated in the microwave. However, the bacon will not stay crispy after being stored and reheated in the micro. You can opt for reheating the bacon pieces in an air fryer so they regain some crunch (if picking them out of the pasta isn't too tedious for you!).
Crunchy vegetables make a great addition this garlic bacon pasta, such as roasted broccoli and asparagus. Peas, carrots and tomatoes work too. You can make this more of a spaghetti carbonara by adding lots of black pepper and a bit of scrambled eggs.
This recipe is delicious with a sauce that's on the creamier side too. To make a creamy sauce, replace one cup of the pasta water with heavy cream or milk.
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Recipe
Bacon Pasta
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.
Gloria
You can never go wrong with pasta any day of the week. Bacon makes everything delicious. This will be a hit with the family for sure.
Bernice
I'm always looking for easy pasta recipes for weeknight dinners and this pasta fits the bill. No one was sad about all that bacon and everyone cleaned their plates with not issues. A keeper!
Sean
This is a great option for when I don't want to make carbonara. I loved all the flavors and you can never go wrong with bacon.
Marisa Franca
I remember my Mamma making something similar and we always loved her quick spaghetti dinners. I decided to try it out on my kiddos and let's just say there were NO left overs and they asked for seconds. That's a winner in my book.
Enriqueta E Lemoine
What an easy-peasy bacon pasta recipe. It's like an oversimplified version of my beloved pasta all'matricianana recipe.And all the kiddos LOVED it!
sophie
This dish was an absolute delight, combining the savory goodness of bacon with perfectly cooked pasta.
The bacon added a delicious smoky flavor that elevated the entire dish
Lauren Michael Harris
You can't go wrong with added bacon! This spaghetti recipe was so easy to make and the kids loved it!
Tracy
You can never go wrong with bacon and pasta! Especially when it's a meal that's ready in just 30 minutes, perfect for our busy household!
Dennis
You combined two of my favorite foods and I couldn't have been happier with this delicious pasta recipe! Easy to make and delicious!!
Katie Crenshaw
I had everything on hand to at home, so decided to give this a try. It was so simple, and so good! My whole family loved it. I definitely will be making again.
LaKita
This pasta is so flavorful and delicious! It was so simple to make and came out perfect, so good!