BLT PASTA — This quick and easy meal features pasta, bacon and tomatoes in a creamy sauce, topped with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
This BLT pasta was a big hit at my house! Okay, some of my picky eaters removed the tomatoes, but they don’t know what they were missing. No one removed the bacon, of course!
I love that this dish uses fresh tomatoes in addition to the canned, and the cream cheese adds just a touch of creaminess to the sauce.
We had this for dinner tonight, it was excellent! Even my picky 5 year old loved it. Thank you for posting the recipe. ~ Melinda
And of course I love the bacon. And the pasta. It’s a combination that’s always a hit at my house. If you want to light up a bit, you can definitely use light cream cheese.
There isn’t any lettuce in this BLT pasta, but let’s be honest, that would just be weird. The parsley adds a nice touch of green though.
I think this recipe is perfect for bowtie pasta, but a long thin noodle, like spaghetti or linguine, would work really well too. Just use whatever you have on hand.
And I also love how quick and easy this BLT pasta comes together. It’s the perfect recipe to have up your sleeve on a busy weeknight. Goodness knows there are plenty of those at my house.
This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, so if you’re feeding less than that, you might want to consider making half.
I’m back again to let you know that this one was another hit! My husband, myself and a friend loved it. ~ Lauren
Since I’m feeding a bunch of hungry boys, this recipe makes the perfect amount for my family.
Although, the leftovers are pretty good, if you’re lucky enough to have any. We certainly didn’t!
Be sure to save this BLT Pasta recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Tips for Cooking Pasta
Use a big pot: Cook pasta in a large pot–big enough to hold 6 quarts of water per pound of pasta.
Salt: Generously season your cooking water with salt. A few teaspoons per quart of water is a good place to start. Although a little more or less is fine, depending on your preference.
Don’t overcook: Boil your pasta to until it is al dente, which means it’s cooked, but still a bit chewy. You’ll want to test your pasta for flavor and texture every 20 seconds or so during the last few minutes of cooking.
If you’ll continue cooking the pasta in a sauce, or baking it in the oven, remove the pot from the heat a few minutes before it’s done to prevent overcooking.
Here’s what you’ll need to make BLT Pasta
- Pasta
- Bacon
- Produce: onion, garlic, fresh parsley, grape or cherry tomatoes
- Spices: red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
BLT Pasta
This quick and easy meal features pasta, bacon and tomatoes in a creamy sauce, topped with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta
- 12 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook in a large skillet until crispy.
- Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Leave about 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet.
- Cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente; drain.
- Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to bacon drippings in skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions are soft.
- Stir in chicken broth and diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Add cubed cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add pasta, grape tomatoes, bacon and parsley and cook until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 518Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 1001mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 23g
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from It’s a Keeper.
misslivviebelle
Ooh, this is definitely our kind of recipe! And better yet, the only thing I need to buy is cream cheese! Thanks!
danasfoodforthought
This sounds so delicious! I bet it would work well with turkey bacon too… yum!
Christina
I like the sound of this! A lot!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
I LOVE this and your picture is so pretty! THanks!
Audra
Oh my, does this sound good! A great reason to buy some bacon!
Domestic Nerd
Wow, this looks amazing! We eat “fried pasta” with bacon & eggs, but this looks like something I would like even better!
http://adomesticnerd.blogspot.com/2011/01/fried-pasta.html
heather
yum! i thought it was similar to my blt pasta salad i made over the summer…but its different so ill have to give it a try!
Michele
Wow, I was craving this the other day, looks yummy. Can’t wait to try it.
Stephanie
This looks excellent. I’ll need to try it soon!
Sonia
WOW…….!!!!!!!
This is an amazing pasta platter…. !
scrambledhenfruit
I had this at a pampered chef party, and it was delicious! I don’t think it had the red pepper flakes though- they sound like a great addition!
Rachel Lynn
This sounds delicious! I’m adding it to my list to try!
Mother Rimmy
How can you miss with bacon, pasta and cream cheese. I can see why this pasta dish is a hit!
Kristi
Melinda@This Mama's Heart
We had this for dinner tonight, it was excellent! Even my picky 5 year old loved it. Thank you for posting the recipe 🙂
marla {Family Fresh Cooking}
Love this! Totally linking to it tomorrow 🙂
Lauren
I’m back again to let you know that this one was another hit! My husband, myself and a friend loved it. The spicy factor was the kicker that gave it it’s good to great factor. And it was great cold the day after. Thanks for sharing!
June
Oh today i cooked the BLT Pasta and it was so delicious!! My family loved it too.
Thank you for posting it 😉
Julie
Sounds yummy! I love it when I see something and then discover my kitchen contains all the ingredients! Yeah!
Tenley
How much pasta do you use- a whole box or is this more appropriate for a half box?