Description
A quick and delicious bacon pasta recipe featuring a savory tomato pasta sauce made with garlic, onion, and crispy bacon. Perfect for a comforting weeknight meal, this dish combines simple ingredients to create a rich and flavorful pasta that pairs beautifully with fresh parsley and a touch of olive oil.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 160 g / 5 oz spaghetti or other long strand pasta of choice
Sauce and Toppings
- 1 tsp olive oil (or butter)
- 150 – 180 g / 5 – 6 oz bacon, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 onion, finely diced (brown, white, or yellow)
- 400 g / 14 oz canned crushed tomato
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Pinch of sugar (optional, if needed)
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Have all the ingredients lined up and ready to start cooking simultaneously to ensure smooth workflow.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt, then cook the pasta according to package instructions, but reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes to keep the pasta slightly undercooked.
- Cook Bacon and Aromatics: While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for 1 minute. Then add the minced garlic and diced onion. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes until onions are translucent and bacon is golden. Drain excess fat if desired.
- Deglaze Pan: Scoop out a mug of pasta cooking water, then pour about 1/2 cup into the skillet. Bring to a simmer and stir well, scraping the skillet to dissolve the golden browned bits stuck to the pan into the liquid, enhancing flavor.
- Add Tomato: Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-high to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Drain Pasta: Drain the pasta, or if timed perfectly, use tongs to transfer the pasta directly from the boiling water into the skillet with the sauce.
- Toss Pasta and Sauce: Gently toss the pasta with the sauce using two wooden spoons for about 2 minutes. This allows the sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta cooking water to loosen it.
- Season: Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the bacon is already salty.
- Serve: Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired.
Notes
- Adding a pinch of sugar can help balance the acidity of the tomato sauce if it tastes too sharp.
- Be careful with salt as bacon adds a generous amount of saltiness.
- Reserving pasta cooking water helps to adjust sauce consistency.
- Use freshly minced garlic and finely diced onions for best flavor.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the pasta at its best texture and flavor.