Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 12 oz uncooked pasta
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup tomato paste (double concentrated)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 handful fresh basil, sliced thin
- Salt & pepper to taste
Cook the Pasta and Prep the Bacon
Get a large pot of salted water boiling and cook your pasta al dente according to package directions.
While that’s going, cut the bacon into small pieces – kitchen shears make this way easier than a knife.
Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, ~6-8 minutes.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and leave about 2 Tbsp of the bacon fat in the pan; pour off the rest.
Build the Base with Onions and Garlic
Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped onion to that bacon fat.
Cook until softened, ~5-7 minutes – the onions should look translucent and smell sweet.
Stir in the garlic and white wine; let it bubble for ~30 seconds until fragrant.
Make the Creamy Tomato Sauce
Add the tomato paste, cream, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Stir until the sauce is completely smooth – the tomato paste will want to clump at first but keep stirring.
Let it simmer for ~5 minutes until it thickens up; you’ll notice it coats the back of a spoon when ready.
Finish and Combine Everything
Stir the cooked bacon and sliced basil back into the sauce.
Pull the skillet off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese – doing this off heat prevents the cheese from seizing up.
If your sauce got too thick while the pasta cooked, thin it with a splash of the hot pasta water before draining.
Drain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet; toss everything together until well coated.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed – the bacon and parmesan are already salty so start light.
Spicy Bacon Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 12 oz uncooked pasta
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup tomato paste double concentrated
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 handful fresh basil sliced thin
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil salted water and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Cut bacon into small pieces and cook in large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, 6-8 minutes.
- Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate and leave 2 Tbsp bacon fat in pan.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook chopped onion in bacon fat until softened, 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic and white wine, cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste, cream, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes until smooth.
- Simmer 5 minutes until thickened.
- Stir cooked bacon and basil into sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.
- Drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
