Bacon Tomato Sauce Pasta

They say bacon makes everything better. So let’s make a weeknight pasta dinner better with this bacon tomato pasta! Make a creamy garlic tomato sauce then add crispy crumbled bacon and cool petite diced tomatoes. This pasta hits all the important flavor and texture notes: creamy, crunchy, salty, and savory!

This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal, but looks and tastes like it came from a restaurant. There’s just something special about a silky smooth cream sauce generously coating each noodle…and then when you throw some bacon into the equation you’ll get a pasta dish you’ll want again and again.

INGREDIENTS

Here’s what you’ll need to get this on the dinner table this week.

• Bacon. You’ll need at least 6 slices. Want more? Go for it! You can really add as much crumbled bacon as you want.
• Pasta. I liked a thin long noodles for this. Thin linguini has been my go-to lately, but you can also use thin spaghetti.
• Tomato sauce. One 15 ounce can.
• Petite diced tomatoes. One 14.5 ounce can, and make sure you drain the excess liquid really well so the sauce isn’t too watery.
• Light cream. I prefer light cream in my sauce instead of heavy cream. Heavy cream in my opinion can be a bit too….heavy.
• Grated Parmesan cheese.
• Butter and flour. To make the roux, this really helps create that silky cream sauce consistency.
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder.

RECIPE TIME MANAGEMENT

With a recipe like this that has multiple cooking steps, being efficient with the process is key to getting this on the table as fast as possible. Here’s how I manage the flow in my kitchen to reduce cooking time.

Step 1. Start by bringing your large pot of salted water to boil. Waiting for water to boil can really slow you down, so get that started while you prepare the next steps. This can take 8-10 minutes.

Step 2. While the water is coming to a boil, cook the bacon. I prefer cooking mine on the stove, and usually takes about 12 minutes to get it crispy. So right before the bacon is finished your water should be boiling and you can add in the noodles to cook them. I boiled my noodles for 10 minutes.

Step 3. Now while the noodles are boiling, clean out the pan used to cook the bacon and begin making the sauce. The sauce comes together in about 10-11 minutes. The noodles and bacon will already be finished so now it’s just combine everything together. And you’re done and ready to eat! Using this method should get you from start to finish in 22-24 minutes.

The hardest part of this recipe? Not eating all the crumbled bacon before you add it into the sauce!

SIDE DISH IDEAS

Let’s talk side dishes and complete this meal. Since this is a little one-color with the beige and orangey reds adding a pop of green would be beautiful on your plate. So how about:

• Green beans or peas
• Spinach or zucchini
• Roasted broccoli
• Caesar salad, arugula salad, or garden salad

Soak up extra sauce with:

• Garlic bread
• Garlic knots

For me since you’re already cooking bacon, pasta, and the sauce I’d recommend keeping it extra easy and going with a premade bagged Caesar salad.

Make more pasta nights in your house! Here are some more blog favorite recipes you might like.

Alfredo tomato sauce pasta
Creamy sun-dried tomato pasta
Marry me pasta
Peas and pancetta pasta

Or browse my full collection of pasta recipes.

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