Tomato Bacon Pasta (easy & delicious!)

close up overhead shot of tomato bacon pasta in pan

Print Recipe

Here I'll show you the easiest and most delicious way to make tomato bacon pasta!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
Slotted Spoon & Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels (for removing bacon)
Large Pot & Tongs (for pasta)
Fine Cheese Grater

Ingredients

150g / 5.3oz Smoked Streaky Bacon, diced (see notes)
2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes (or to spice preference)
1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste US)
1x 400g/14oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning (see notes)
200g / 7oz Long Cut Pasta (see notes)
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve if desired
Salt & Black Pepper, as needed

Instructions

Add the bacon to a large pan with the heat off. Turn the heat to medium and fry until crisp with the fat rendered down. Don't rush this and crank up the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and place it on kitchen roll/paper towels. If there's more than 1 tbsp fat in the pan remove excess.
Add the garlic and chilli flakes to the leftover fat and fry for 20 seconds or so (be careful the garlic doesn't burn) then stir in the tomato puree and fry for 30 seconds or so. Pour in the tomatoes and swill out the can with a couple of tbsp of water (just eyeball it). Stir in the Italian seasoning and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens and is no longer watery, stirring as and when needed.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to a large pot of salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
Once the sauce has thickened, add the butter and swiftly stir so it blends with the sauce. Use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot straight into the sauce, embracing any excess water that comes with it. Turn the heat to low and toss the pasta until it's coated in the sauce. Add the parmesan and bacon and continue tossing until the parmesan melts and the sauce thickens and clings to the pasta. If it dries out at all, just thin it out with some pasta water a splash at a time.
Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed, then serve up and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Bacon - It's important to use streaky bacon as it's more fatty than back bacon. This means you can render down the fat and use it in the sauce/to fry the garlic. It'll also be more crispy. If you're in the US just use your regular bacon. I love using smoked bacon as it pairs with the tomato beautifully.

b) Seasoning - You only want a small amount of Italian seasoning because it's quite strong. You just want a very gentle background flavour, otherwise it becomes distracting.

c) Pasta - I like using long-cut pasta because you can toss it through the sauce easier. This is important so you can emulsify the fats in the sauce and allow everything to blend together.

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 2 with no extra parmesan.

Nutrition