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By Sarah Rossi
on Aug 04, 2023, Updated Apr 08, 2024
5 from 48 votes
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A simple creamy Bacon Pasta ready super quickly but packed with heaps of flavour. This store cupboard saviour might just become a new favourite in your family!
It’s no secret that I’m a BIG fan of simple pasta dishes, and I think most of us are. What we need is variation though, so here’s another 10 minute cracker to get your family licking their lips and asking for seconds.
When I created this Pasta with Bacon recipe, I knew I wanted to replicate what’s great about my Prawn Pasta, Halloumi Pasta and Smoked Salmon Pasta recipes (namely speed, deliciousness and simplicity).
I think we’ve nailed it here and I hope you love it! Get it on those meal plans – it’s another easy midweek win.
Why you’ll love this Creamy Bacon Pasta recipe
⭐️ Ready in just 10 MINUTES
⭐️ A few inexpensive ingredients
⭐️ So tasty and healthy
How we came up with this recipe
I wanted to make a quick pasta recipe that had bacon as the star of the show but also had heaps of flavour quickly.
A pack of bacon is quite often at the back of the fridge, has a relatively long shelf life so we can reach for it on time-poor days, and it brings SO much flavour to a dish.
We initially tried making this with tomato puree, but it didn’t quite hit the mark in terms of flavour.
Having used sundried tomatoes recently in my Marry Me Chicken recipe, we thought we’d use that here and… OH HELLO! It was so good.
The addition of that shortcut of cream cheese creates a delicious creamy and decadent sauce that offsets the bacon’s saltiness and the peas’ sweetness perfectly.
Bacon Pasta Ingredients notes
- Pasta – I’ve used spaghetti, which works perfectly for this dish, but use what you like
- Onion and garlic – Frozen or fresh is fine here for these ingredients
- Bacon – I like to use streaky smoked bacon for this pasta dish as it has loads of flavour, but if all you have is back bacon or unsmoked, that’s totally fine too
- Sundried tomatoes – The type in oil, not the dry type which take a little longer to soften. See notes below for more info on this ingredient
- Peas – I like to use frozen peas as they’re handy to have in store, and they’re sweet and delicious
- Cream cheese – Any kind is fine to use
How to make Bacon Pasta
1. Put your pasta onto boil and fry the onions, garlic and bacon together until cooked.
2. Add in the sundried tomatoes and add your peas to the pasta water for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
3. Reduce the heat and add tomato puree and cream cheese to the pan. Stir well.
4. Drain the cooked pasta and peas, then add to the pan with bacon etc. Give everything a good stir and serve.
Hint: Reserve a little pasta cooking water so you can help the sauce to loosen up when stirring the dish together. It will give a nice silky smooth finish to the pasta.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep bacon pasta leftovers in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or hob before serving.
You may need a drop of water to loosen the sauce up again.
In the freezer I’m not a big fan of freezing pasta as it can go quite mushy when defrosted and reheated. All that said, there’s nothing wrong with freezing for a lunch if you have leftovers. It’s just not quite as good as fresh or reheated from the fridge.
Notes on sundried tomatoes
- Type: Use the sundried tomatoes in oil here as they are much softer than the dry type. If you want to hide them from children, cut them up very small and they’ll almost melt into the sauce.
- Amount to use: We have used 170g here. This is the drained weight of a 280g jar of sundried tomatoes in oil from Aldi. If your jar weighs slightly more or less, that’s fine. It doesn’t need to be this exact weight.
- Save the oil: There will be oil left in the jar. I haven’t used it in this recipe (as the bacon has enough fat), but you can put the lid on, pop it in the fridge and save it for cooking in another recipe as it will have lots of flavour.
More quick pasta recipes…
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Orzo Pasta Salad {15 Minute Meal}
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Halloumi Pasta {15 Minute Meal}
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Tuna Pasta Salad
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Baked Tortellini ‘Lasagne’ {10 Minute Meal}
FAQ
How can I make this a little ‘saucier’?
Before you drain your pasta, save a cup of the cooking water before it goes down the sink. You can add a little at a time to the dish when you’re stirring it together.
It helps to loosen up the ingredients and have a silky sauce finish – always worth doing this for any pasta dish that’s not overly saucy!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
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5 from 48 votes
Creamy Bacon Pasta {10 Minute Meal}
By Sarah Rossi
When we need a quick dinner that everyone will love and we don’t want to use loads of ingredients, this Creamy Bacon Pasta recipe is here to save you. Full of flavour, hearty and satisfying, and on your plate in 10 minutes.
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 300 g Pasta, I use spaghetti
- 1 Onion, Peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, Or puree
- 240 g Streaky smoked bacon, Chopped into 1cm strips
- 170 g Sundried tomatoes , The type in oil, drained and chopped into thin strips
- 4 tbsp Tomato puree
- 200 g Peas, Frozen is fine
- 200 g Cream cheese
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the pack, in a pan of well salted water.
Put your onions, garlic, tomatoes and bacon into a pan and fry over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the onions are softened and the bacon is cooked through (you shouldn’t need any oil as the bacon will release some).
Five minutes before your pasta has finished cooking, add the peas to the pasta pan and continue cooking as normal.
When the bacon and onions are cooked, reduce the heat to low and add the tomato puree and cream cheese. Give everything a good stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until just heated through.
When the pasta and peas are cooked, drain (reserve a cup of the cooking water) and add the pasta and peas into the pan with the bacon and vegetables. Add black pepper and a splash of reserved cooking water if you'd like a more runny sauce.
Give everything a good stir and serve immediately. (This shouldn't need any more salt as the bacon is salted, but taste it to be sure.)
Notes
Pasta: I’ve used spaghetti, which works perfectly for this dish, but use what you like
Onion and garlic: Frozen or fresh is fine here for these ingredients
Bacon: I like to use streaky smoked bacon for this pasta dish as it has loads of flavour, but if all you have is back bacon or unsmoked, that’s totally fine too
Peas: I like to use frozen peas as they’re handy to have in store, and they’re sweet and delicious
Cream cheese: Any kind is fine to use
Sundried tomatoes: Use the sundried tomatoes in oil here as they are much softer than the dry type. If you want to hide them from children, cut them up very small and they’ll almost melt into the sauce. Quantities don’t have to be exact.
Pasta water:Reserve a little pasta cooking water so you can help the sauce to loosen up when stirring the dish together. It will give a nice silky smooth finish to the pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 619kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 35gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 1438mgPotassium: 1987mgFiber: 11gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 1112IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 161mgIron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Family Food
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Categorized as:
Collections, Family Dinner Ideas, Main Courses, Pasta, Pork, Recipes, Under 15 minutes
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Hi, I'm Sarah. I help busy people decide 'What's for Dinner?' Find hundreds of recipes here, and also in my bestselling recipe book. Hope my recipes make your life easier ❤️
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12 Comments
A hit with all my fussy littles 🙌🏻Reply
