This Easy Garlic Bacon Pasta Recipe is going to be your go-to weeknight meal when you need a quick dinner on the table in just 10 minutes. With just 5 ingredients - pasta, olive oil, garlic, bacon, and salt, you can have a delicious dinner! (Parmesan and parsley are optional but so good!) You can use spaghetti, linguine, or even angel hair pasta for this recipe. But make sure to keep the bacon fats as that is where the magic happens.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the salt and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet suggests.1 tablespoon salt 1 lb dried spaghetti
Once the pasta is cooked reserve 2 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
Whilst the Pasta is Cooking
Chop the bacon into smallish dice, add a tablespoon of the olive oil to a frying pan then cook the bacon over medium high for 4-5 minutes until crispy.10-12 strips bacon 2 tablespoon olive oil
Whilst the bacon is cooking peel and thinly slice the garlic.6 cloves garlic
Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving the oil and bacon grease behind.
Reduce the heat under the pan and add the remaining olive oil and the sliced garlic. Stir constantly for 2 minutes and as soon as the garlic has softened but not yet colored, add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and turn the heat back up.3 tablespoon olive oil chopped garlic ½ cup pasta cooking water
Boil this mixture for a minute then add in the now drained pasta, keeping the frying pan on the heat.
Add a further ½ cup of pasta water and toss and stir the pasta in the sauce until it is cooked to your liking. You might need to add more pasta water.½-1 cup extra pasta cooking water
Once your garlic 'sauce' has coated the pasta, add the cooked bacon and any collected juices back into the pasta then season to taste. (Depending on the saltiness of your bacon you might need salt, but it willdefinitly want some pepper)
Serve garnished with fresh parsley and grated parmesan.
Notes
You want to pick a bacon that has plenty of flavor and a good amount of fat. The fat is what makes the sauce, so don't go for turkey bacon or bacon eyes. Good old fashioned streaky bacon is best here.