Bacon Pasta

This Creamy Bacon Pasta recipe has an indulgent tomato cream sauce with garlic, Parmesan cheese, simple seasonings, and crispy bacon! Your family will love this restaurant-quality dinner with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese.

Be sure to try my Bacon Ranch Chicken recipe next!

Bacon Pasta

I can’t wait for you to smell this creamy bacon sauce. It’s got the perfect balance of garlic, Parmesan, fresh tomatoes, cream, seasonings, and of course… bacon.

You can use any kind of pasta with this recipe. I love using bowtie pasta (farfalle), medium shells, regular or thin spaghetti, and even penne.

Let’s get to it! Here’s what you need to know:

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook the bacon over low and slow heat until crispy. Remove and reserve 1 TBS drippings.

Add minced garlic and add splashes of chicken broth to the pan. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan while the garlic cooks for 1-2 minutes.

Once the bottom and sides of the pan are clean, add remaining chicken broth, cream, tomato paste, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add cherry tomatoes and stir in room temperature cream cheese. Let it bubble gently, partially covered, while you boil the pasta. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in Parmesan cheese.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. The sauce will thicken upon standing and the pasta will continue to absorb it. Garnish with crumbled bacon and fresh parsley. 

Pro Tips

• Any kind of pasta can be used in this recipe. My favorites include bowtie (farfalle), medium shells, and thin or regular spaghetti.
• 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.
• You can’t taste the mustard powder, it enhances the other flavors in the recipe.
• If you love extra saucy pasta, use slightly less than 1/2 lb.

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• Stainless Steel Skillet– This is the one I used for this recipe.
• Kitchen Tongs– Easiest way to handle and flip the bacon.
• Silicone Spatula

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Bacon Pasta

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

4.94 from 44 ratings

Servings: 4 people

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

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

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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 713mg, Potassium: 653mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1793IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 242mg, Iron: 2mg

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Author: Stephanie