With nourishing pasta and crispy bacon in a bright herbaceous pesto sauce, this Bacon Pesto Pasta recipe is a satisfying, easy recipe for any weeknight dinner.
Bacon makes everything better. From air fryer bacon-wrapped asparagus to bacon mushroom quiche to Filipino fried rice, crispy, crunchy, salty bacon adds an irresistible extra layer of flavor.
And if you're a fan of comfort food, you'll love digging into this bacon pesto pasta recipe.
This pasta is so cozy and satisfying. The bacon adds a lovely crunch to every bite. And the pesto balances it out with some acidity and brightness. It's truly a dish that I could eat every week!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
Making a flavorful, restaurant-style pasta dish doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. You can make this one at home without spending a lot of time or money. Here's why you'll love it:
- A few simple ingredients: You only need a handful of easy-to-find and inexpensive ingredients to make this pasta.
- Bright and herby: The addition of the pesto adds both flavor and color to this dish. Use either store-bought or make your own pesto at home.
- Easy to make vegetarian: If you prefer a vegetarian version of this recipe, use plant-based bacon or simply skip it altogether. This dish will still pack a lot of flavor.
- Fast and easy: This meal comes together in less than 15 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal with the family!
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Pasta - We love using corkscrew shaped pastas for this recipe, like cellentani, fusilli, and rotini. But it's a versatile recipe in which you can use almost any shape of pasta you wish. From tubular pastas like rigatoni or penne, to long strand pastas like fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine. Your choice!
- Pesto - Use our homemade fresh basil pesto recipe or your favorite store-bought pesto.
- Garlic - "Wait isn't there garlic in pesto already?" Yes! But you can never have too much garlic!
- Bacon - For some smokiness and crunchy texture.
- Olive oil - Use some extra virgin olive oil to help cook the bacon and garlic.
- Parmesan cheese - A garnish of parmesan gives the dish a pleasant kick of tanginess.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Here's an overview and some step-by-step photos to help you create this delicious pasta dish! You'll find the full list of ingredients as well as measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- First, boil water in a large pot and start cooking the pasta.
- Meantime, slice the bacon and sauté it with some olive oil until almost crispy.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Then remove from heat and drain the excess grease from the pan.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained, toss it together with the pesto.
- Then add it to the pan and toss with the bacon and garlic.
- Sprinkle over some grated parmesan cheese and serve!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for up to 4 days.
First, sprinkle some water or olive oil over the pasta. Then either reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. On the stove, add the pasta to a nonstick pan and cook it over medium heat for a few minutes until the pasta is warmed through. If using a microwave, put the pasta in a microwave-safe bowl and cook it for 30-second intervals until it's reheated.
Yes! To make it vegetarian, either use plant-based bacon or skip the bacon altogether. You'll still have a flavorful, delicious dish.
Feel free to add your favorite proteins or veggies to this verstatile pasta dish. It goes great with chicken and shrimp, as well as mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and peas.
🍽 Serving ideas
Bacon pesto pasta is a hearty entree dish that can be served with a variety of sides. It goes great with fresh vegetable side dishes like zesty garlic lemon asparagus or roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots.
Or you can double down on the pesto and garlic and serve it with some warm and crispy pesto bread, air fryer garlic bread, or garlic rosemary focaccia bread.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
A dry white wine will pair best with the bright herbiness in this dish. Here are a few recommendations:
- Sauvignon Blanc: Sauv Blancs are typically high in acid and herbaceous, which will help cut through some of the richness of this dish and complement the pesto.
- Chardonnay: Opt for an unoaked chardonnay vs a richer, buttery one. The cleaner flavors and higher acidity will help balance the creaminess of the pesto.
- Vinho Verde: Produced in northern Portugal, Vinho Verde wine is light, crisp, and floral, an ideal pairing to complement the bright flavors and heartiness of this dish.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- High-quality set of pans or skillets - you'll need a few good-quality pans to make all the components of this dish.
- Wooden spoon - Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients.
- Pasta strainer - This stainless steel pasta strainer is durable and affordable.
More pasta recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Bacon Pesto Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta Twisty/spiral pasta like rotini, cellentani, fusilli, gemelli, cavatappi, etc. work well
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 slices bacon, sliced into small pieces
- ½ cup pesto sauce homemade or store-bought
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional: grated or finely shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the bacon has *almost* reached your desired level of crispness.
- Add the garlic and sauté with the bacon for 1 minute.
- Carefully drain/spoon out the excess grease out of the pan, taking care not to discard any of the bacon or garlic, and leaving no more than 1 Tablespoon of grease in the pan.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta and pesto and toss together to coat the pasta with the sauce.
- Add the sauced pasta to the skillet and toss together with the bacon and garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (I usually find about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper is the right amount, but season to your personal taste preference.
- Top with parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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