3 Best Pastas with Grilled Bacon

Who doesn’t love pasta with grilled bacon? Pasta and bacon are definitely a winning combination for families, special occasions, or even to whip up a speedy meal at the end of a busy day.
Here are three excellent recipes for different pasta dishes with grilled bacon to spice up your weekday dinners. You can use pasta straight from the package or add a touch of class to your recipe with homemade pasta if you’ve got a pasta maker.

Either way, these dishes are all winners!

Spaghetti with Grilled Bacon

This is a take on spaghetti with tomato sauce, adding in some crispy bacon. You can make your own tomato sauce if you wish, but this recipe works with even basic tomato sauce. The bacon adds quite a lot of flavor.

This classic recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1/2 pound bacon strips, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can tomatoes (diced, 14 1/2 ounces, use the juice too)
• 1 can of tomato sauce (8 ounces)

Optional serving ingredients

• Garlic bread
• Side salad
• Parmesan, for sprinkling over the cooked pasta

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. The spaghetti you’ll want to cook al dente, following the directions on the package.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, grill your bacon and diced onion till the bacon is nice and crisp. (You could use a skillet if you prefer.)
3. Drain off any excess fat from the grill. Using a skillet or large saucepan, stir the bacon and onion into the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
4. Drain your spaghetti and put it into a greased baking dish (about 11 by 7 inches). Pour the tomato and bacon sauce over the top of the pasta, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, uncovered, till the top bubbles nicely.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan (if using), and serve with tasty garlic bread and a side salad.

Chicken and Bacon Pasta

This recipe may surprise you if you aren’t accustomed to adding barbecue sauce to your pasta. Wait till you try it! The combination of the pasta, bacon, and barbecue sauce gives fabulous flavors that everyone loves, and children in particular.

This tasty one-pot recipe serves 5 people.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bacon, diced
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or smoked paprika)
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• One can diced tomatoes, with juice (14 ounces)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of your preferred barbecue sauce
• 3 cups of your favorite short pasta (penne, fusilli, rotini, etc.)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Optional ingredients for serving

• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Garlic bread
• Side salad

Method

1. Using a large pan (such as a Dutch oven), cook the bacon and onion until the bacon is crispy.
2. Add your diced chicken to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or till the chicken is lightly browned. Don’t drain the fat from the bacon, as it will help prevent the chicken pieces from sticking to the bottom. Stir occasionally as the chicken cooks.
3. Add the spices: the garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes or smoked paprika. Stir for 1 minute.
4. Pour in chicken broth and stir well to scrape any bits of cooked food from the bottom of the pot (they’re tasty!)
5. Now add the tomatoes and their juice, as well as the milk and the barbecue sauce. Stir to combine everything evenly, then stir in the uncooked pasta. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
6. Turn down heat to medium-low, letting the pasta simmer. Stir it often to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick and let it cook al dente.
7. Once your pasta is cooked al dente, stir in the cheese.
8. As above, top with fresh herbs before serving, and provide some garlic bread and a side salad, if you wish.

Note: If you find your liquid is reducing too quickly to cook the pasta, cover your pot to keep moisture.

Spaghetti Carbonara

No list of pasta recipes with bacon would be complete without Spaghetti Carbonara!

If you are worried about the presence of raw eggs in this recipe, fear not. The eggs get cooked from the residual heat of the pasta. As long as you stir quickly, you won’t end up with scrambled eggs and pasta.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano), grated
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh cream (if you wish)
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped (for serving)

Method

1. Using a big pot of salted water, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. Take out 1/2 cup of the cooking water for later use, then drain the pasta.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and Parmesan with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. Now heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon till it’s nice and crisp – this should take about 8 minutes.
4. If you have any extra fat in the pan from your bacon, you can drain it if you wish. How much fat you want in your pan is up to you, but remember you need some fat to cook the garlic.
5. Cook the minced garlic in the pan for about 1 minute, then turn the heat down to low.
6. This is where you’ll need to work fast. Pop in the cooked pasta, followed by the egg mixture. Stir constantly to combine everything, then add some of the reserved pasta water. Drizzle in a bit of water at a time until you reach the consistency that you want for your pasta.
7. If you are using cream, stir it in at this point and heat it through.
8. Season the pasta with salt and pepper if desired, then serve, garnished with the chopped fresh parsley on top.

Last updated: October 23, 2023