Bacon Pasta

This Creamy Bacon Pasta recipe has an indulgent tomato cream sauce with garlic, Parmesan cheese, simple seasonings, and crispy bacon!

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 575kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Seasoning

¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch cayenne optional

Pasta

5 slices bacon
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 pinch Red pepper Flakes
2 Tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
8 oz spaghetti
Fresh Parsley to garnish

Instructions

Cook the bacon slowly over low heat until crispy on each side. Remove and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Remove any black flecks from pan, but leave the brown remnants on the bottom as this will add great flavor to the sauce.
Add reserved bacon drippings to the pan along with the garlic over medium heat.
Add a splash of chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan. Continue to add small splashes of broth while the garlic cooks for 1-2 minutes.
Once the bottom and sides of the pan are clean, you’ll be left with a brown liquid full of flavor. Add any remaining chicken broth along with the tomato paste, seasonings, and heavy cream. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and room temperature cream cheese. Stir to combine the cream cheese into the sauce. Cover partially and let it bubble slightly while you begin boiling salted pasta water. The tomatoes will eventually split.
Taste the sauce and season with a pinch of salt if desired.
Cook pasta 1 minute less than instructed on package. Once the pasta is nearly finished, reduce heat on the sauce to low. Gradually sprinkle on freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If the base is too hot when you do this, the dairy will separate and you’ll have a grainy consistency so be sure to let the heat reduce to low.
Use kitchen tongs to add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine until desired sauce/pasta ratio is obtained. Allow it to cook for 1 minute more to allow the sauce to thicken further and for the pasta to absorb it.
The sauce will continue to thicken further upon standing. Garnish with chopped bacon and fresh parsley and serve with Garlic Bread with Cheese.

Notes

Any kind of pasta can be used in this recipe. My favorites include bowtie (farfalle), medium shells, and thin or regular spaghetti.
If you love extra saucy pasta, use slightly less than 1/2 lb.
Diced/drained tomatoes can be used instead of cherry tomatoes. I like the flavor and texture from the softened cherry tomatoes but a firmer and more uniform texture from diced tomatoes may be preferred.
The cream cheese must be at room temperature in order to melt well into the sauce.
Be sure to grate Parmesan cheese from a block instead of using packaged grated cheese as it will melt much smoother and creamier.
If you substitute half and half instead of heavy cream, heat it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds before adding it into the sauce to ensure that it doesn’t curdle.
The mustard powder may seem strange, but it enhances the other flavors in the recipe.

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