Description
This easy creamy bacon tomato pasta is the perfect dinner for busy weeknights. With no onion or garlic, it cuts the prep and cooking time down and the entire recipe, takes 20 minutes or less!
Quick and easy pasta recipes can ease the stress of what to make for dinner, especially when you're busy and tired. This creamy pasta is made with the least amount of effort and it's a meal that everyone can enjoy. Win win!
Ingredients
- 400 g / 14 oz fusilli pasta or any other. Approximately 4 cups (80 to 100g per person)
- 2 tbsps of olive oil or unsalted butter
- 500 g / 17.5 oz diced bacon (1 pkt of 250 / 8.8 oz or 1 bundle of 500grams)
- 2 x 250ml of cream
- 500 ml of tomato passata (box or bottle is fine)
- 1/4 cup of white wine (optional and you can use reserved pasta water)
- salt for the pasta water
- pasta water (reserve 1 cup, an extra half cup if not using white wine)
- fresh black pepper to serve
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Start With Cooking The Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside. - Cook The Bacon
In a large skillet (the pasta will go in here later) or non stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to heat and cook the bacon. Cook the bacon on high heat first to brown, and then drop the heat to medium so that it can render. If your pan goes a little brown on the inside while cooking the bacon, add a 1/4 cup of white wine gradually to deglaze the pan. (It takes under a minute). If you don't want to use wine, continue without and move onto the sauce.
Quick Note: You can use splashes of pasta water to deglaze instead of wine. - Make The Creamy Sauce
If you did add wine, let is first all cook off, it takes a minute or so and then pour in the passata. Stir-in the passata and then pour in 3/4 of the cream. Mix and season with fresh black pepper. - Add The Cooked Pasta
Add the cooked pasta and fold it all in. Use the remaining cream and reserved pasta water to create more of a sauce. - Garnish
Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh black peppper. - Serve
Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh basil or fresh parsley.
Notes
Cooking the pasta: You need a large pot that will fit the pasta comfortably because pasta needs to circulate while cooking to avoid sticking which happens for many reasons in a small over-filled pot.
Salt: No salt is added to the sauce because we have salt in the bacon and salted pasta water. Consider and taste for salt before adding.
Liquid: Substitute the white wine for reserved pasta water.
Serving later: Keep the remaining cream and pasta water to 'revive' the pasta if you're only serving hours later. The liquid can also be kept in the fridge and used the next day for any left-overs.
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 573
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 1502
- Fat: 27
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 51
- Fiber: 11
- Protein: 31
- Cholesterol: 0.4