Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach
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This Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach is easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes. Savory bacon, al dente pasta, baby spinach and cherry tomatoes get tossed in a luxurious Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper infused cream sauce. Perfect for date night, Valentine’s Day, or an easy weeknight family dinner!
Looking for more date night pasta recipes? Try my Cream Sauce Seafood Pasta, this Spicy ‘Nduja Pasta with Shrimp, or Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta next!
About This Recipe
Savory bacon, perfectly cooked pasta, a black pepper garlic cream sauce with a spicy kick and nutty Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, baby spinach and juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes make up this heavenly Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach!
I love this dish because it’s so quick and simple to make in about 30 minutes and has a short ingredient list. Yet it boasts elevated flavors and tastes like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant.
It’s one of those dinners that’s simple enough for weeknights but fancy enough for date night, Valentine’s Day dinner and entertaining!
If dining with kids or those who can’t tolerate a spice, simply use less crushed red pepper and ground cayenne to make this a family friendly meal!
Ready to make this comforting and creamy bacon pasta for dinner tonight?
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy! Ready in under 30 minutes, this is a simple and easy to make dish with elevated flavors.
- Delicious! Combined with perfectly cooked al-dente pasta, the peppery black pepper cream sauce infused with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and savory bacon tastes exquisite!
- Perfect for date night or Valentine’s Day. Pair it with a glass of wine or your favorite non-alcoholic drink for a romantic dinner with your significant other!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and Asian red shallots. Use regular shallots/eschalots, or red onion instead.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Or use grape tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes. The sweetness with a hint of acidity cuts through the richness of the cream sauce.
- Lean Bacon Block: I used a diced Japanese bacon block, which is extra lean and similar to a ham steak or block. It doesn’t render much bacon fat during cooking, so you do need to cook it in a little oil. Find it at a Japanese or Asian supermarket. Or use regular lean bacon slices, turkey bacon or streaky bacon if preferred.
- Orecchiette Pasta: Or use any other short-cut pasta shape such as small shells (conchiglie), gemelli, fusilli, farfalle, etc.
- Olive Oil: For cooking.
- Heavy Cream: The main ingredient for our rich and creamy sauce. If you’re in the UK, you can use double cream instead.
- Seasonings: We’ll season the cream sauce with kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, Italian seasoning, ground cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick!
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan Cheese): As always, I recommend using freshly grated cheese from a block. It tastes and melts better into sauces. Pre-shredded/grated cheese in the bags at the store have anti-caking agents and preservatives that prevent it from melting evenly and quickly into the sauce.
- Reserved pasta water. Save half cup of the boiling salted pasta water to help thin the pasta sauce.
- Baby Spinach: Or use baby kale.
- To Serve (optional): Finish off by topping your plate with fresh basil or chopped parsley and more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese!
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
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How to Make Creamy Pasta with Bacon
Below is a step-by-step overview on how to make this creamy bacon pasta recipe. Keep scrolling down to get to the recipe card below with the full recipe and detailed instructions!
Serving Suggestions
A simple side salad and some garlic bread would pair well with this creamy pasta with bacon.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Storing: Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on high in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil and grated cheese if desired after reheating.
Cook’s Tips
- Make it lighter. Use cooking cream (18-20% fat content), table cream or light cream instead. The sauce will less creamy but still thick and rich thanks to the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Adjust spice level to taste. Use less or leave out the ground cayenne and crushed red pepper chili flakes for a milder bacon pasta sauce dish.
- Keep the heat low. Maintain low heat once you’ve added the cream so that it doesn’t boil and reduce/evaporate.
- Avoid using a tube-shaped pasta. Penne, rigatoni, paccheri mezze and other tube-shaped pastas aren’t the best option for this dish because the sauce will seep into the pasta, leaving less sauce for the exterior and making the dish feel less creamy. If you don’t have orecchiette or any of the other suggested types of pasta listed in the ‘ingredients’ section, you can use a noodle-type of pasta. Linguini, spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, etc. would work well.
Variations
- Use different veggies. Toss in frozen green peas, asparagus, mushrooms, sweet corn, broccoli florets, etc. They can be cooked with the bacon.
- Use different pork meat. Lean smoked bacon cubes, diced gammon ham, pancetta, etc.
- Add chicken. Sear some salt and pepper seasoned diced chicken breasts or thighs in a little oil first and remove to a clean bowl. Add it back in just before adding the pasta and cheese. Alternatively, toss in some shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken from the store.
- Cook in unsalted butter. For a more indulgent cream sauce, use unsalted butter instead of olive oil for cooking.
FAQs
Japanese bacon doesn’t brown much or become crispy like American bacon. The meat comes from the pork ribs and the bacon is made of soybean protein and egg protein too. It also does not render much fat and is lower in calories and much leaner than your typical American bacon. It has liquid smoke flavor added so it does have bacon flavor, but it’s more like the meat of gammon ham or a ham steak.
Yes, although it tastes best if consumed within 3-4 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer friendly airtight container (or multiple containers) and allow to cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes or so, stirring halfway through, or until warm throughout. Garnish with more grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil just before serving. Note that the cherry tomatoes will break down and the juice will seep into the cream sauce once thawed and reheated. The cream sauce will also be slightly thinner after thawing. It will still taste delicious though!
Use vegan bacon, a plant-based cooking cream and dairy-free cheese.
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Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach
Easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes, this Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach features savory bacon, pasta, baby spinach and cherry tomatoes in a luxurious Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper infused cream sauce. Perfect for date night, Valentine’s Day, or an easy weeknight family dinner!
- Prep Time: 8
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 cloves / 25 grams Garlic
- 2–3 / 50 grams Asian Red Shallots (substitute with 1 regular shallot/eschalot) – finely chopped
- 4 ounces / 120 grams Cherry Tomatoes – halved
- 7 ounces / 200 grams Lean Bacon Block (note 1) – diced into small cubes
- 10 ounces / 280 grams uncooked Orecchiette Pasta (or other short-cut pasta shape – note 2)
- 2 TSP Olive Oil
- 1 cup / 236ml Heavy Cream (minimum 35% fat – note 3)
- 1–¼ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste (note 4)
- 1.5 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 TSP Italian Seasoning
- ¼ – ½ TSP ground Cayenne, to taste (note 5)
- 1 – 2 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (note 5)
- ½ cup / 40 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan Cheese)
- 3–4 TBSP reserved pasta water
- 4 cups / 132 grams Baby Spinach
- To Serve (optional): Fresh Basil Leaves or chopped Parsley, more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Prep:
- Prepare the fresh ingredients: Mince the garlic. Finely chop the shallots. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Finely dice the lean bacon.
Creamy Bacon Pasta:
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta al-dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. (I like to run water cold water over the pasta to prevent it from sticking and cooking further but this is optional.)
- Cook the bacon. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large deep edged skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until mostly cooked and starting to brown – about 3-4 minutes.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until softened and fragrant.
- Add the cream and seasonings: Lower the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stir in all of the seasonings – the kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, ground cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add the pasta and cheese: Add the cooked pasta, grated cheese, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water. Maintain low heat and mix to combine until the cheese has melted and everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Add the baby spinach: Add the baby spinach and 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Mix until just wilted – about 2-3 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, you can stir in more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your desired consistency is reached.
- Mix in the cherry tomatoes: Add the cherry tomatoes and briefly mix to combine. Switch off the heat.
- Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with fresh basil or chopped parsley and more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Lean Bacon Block. I used a Japanese bacon block, which is extra lean and similar to a ham steak or block. It doesn’t render much bacon fat during cooking. You can use lean bacon slices or regular bacon and cut them into bite-sized strips. Cook them first in a little oil (if needed) and remove from the pan. Then cook the rest of the dish as indicated and add the cooked bacon back into the pan after adding the pasta and cheese.
- Pasta. Avoid using tube-shaped short-cut pasta as all the sauce will seep inside. The dish will feel less creamy and like there isn’t enough sauce. Besides orecchiette, small shells (conchiglie), gemelli, fusilli and farfalle are some good options. You could also use a noodle type pasta such as linguini, spaghetti or fettuccine.
- Kosher Salt. Adjust to taste depending on how salty the bacon you’re using is. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon first, then taste and add more if needed just before switching off the heat.
- Heavy Cream. To make this dish slightly lighter, use cooking cream (18-20% fat content), table cream or light cream instead. The sauce will be less creamy but still thick and rich thanks to the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Ground Cayenne and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Omit completely for a mild dish or use less to suit your heat level preference.
- Storing and Reheating Leftovers. Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil and grated cheese if desired after reheating.
- To Freeze. Although this dish tastes best when consumed within 3-4 days, you can freeze leftovers if needed. Transfer to a freezer friendly airtight container (or multiple containers) and allow to cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until warm throughout. Garnish with more grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil just before serving. Note that the cherry tomatoes will break down and the juice will seep into the cream sauce once thawed and reheated. The cream sauce will also be slightly thinner after thawing. It will still taste delicious though!
- See the ‘Variations’ and ‘FAQs’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this recipe and the ‘Cook’s Tips’ section for more tips.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 1046.1mg
- Fat: 33.8g
- Saturated Fat: 18.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 61.2g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 23.3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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