This luxurious recipe for bacon crab pasta combines sweet tender crab with bacon in a delectable white wine cream sauce. The perfect dinner party choice…or for a night when you just want to pamper yourself because you are worth ALL the crab!
Yes I know, this is my second post in a row with the word “bacon” in the title, but this one couldn’t be more different than the rustic looking bacon chicken pot pie I was talking about last time. This silky, indulgent recipe for crab bacon pasta is the kind of decadent meal you want to pull out for company…or for yourself when you want a creamy, flavorful treat.
Now, while this recipe IS all kinds of luxurious and full of glorious crab and bacon and cream sauce, that also means that a little goes a long way.
Buying lump crabmeat always gives me sticker shock, but because it is swirled into this rich conglomeration, you actually should serve up somewhat smaller portions than you would normally do. And here’s an interesting piece about WHY it is so expensive, in case you were also wondering.
This luxurious recipe for bacon crab pasta combines sweet tender crab with bacon in a delectable white wine cream sauce. The perfect dinner party choice!Meaning that a little the spendy crabmeat and the decadent cream sauce goes a long way, especially when you pair this with an interesting side salad (I’m currently loving this salad with pumpkin seeds and pears from the always wonderful Leite’s Culinaria) and a well behaved dessert like strawberry sherbet.
Oh, and about that basil. I’m currently in total denial that my homegrown basil season is over and am self-soothing myself by buying bunches of it at the supermarket, but if you are making this sometime when basil is not at your fingertips, the always available fresh parsley will also work just fine.
Here’s how you make bacon crab pasta!
You start by cooking up some long pasta – spaghetti and linguine are both A-OK – in salted water, and scoop out a cup of that magical pasta water before you drain it.
While the pasta is cooking, sauté up some chopped bacon in a heavy deep skillet until it is cooked to your liking. Scoop out the bacon to drain on paper towels, and then add some white wine to those bacon drippings.
Reduce it a little, and then pour in some cream. (I know, but life is short and every once in a while we get to have cream.)
Once the cream has reduced a little, you are going to pour the cooked pasta into the skillet, give it a good toss so it is nice and coated, and then stir in the crabmeat along with the chopped herbs, the cooked bacon, some butter (just a smidge!), some lemon juice, and enough of that pasta water to make the sauce the perfect consistency. Season it to taste with salt and pepper.
Now dish it out onto warmed plates and garnish it with a few basil or parsley sprigs, and speaking of that…
…this is how I know something is a hit with the Southern husband – when he eats every last morsel, except for that last smidge of garnish.
And we all lived happily ever after!
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...
Bacon Crab Pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
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Pin RecipeDescription
This luxurious recipe for bacon crab pasta combines sweet tender crab with bacon in a delectable white wine cream sauce. The perfect dinner party choice!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 4 ounces bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound jumbo lump cooked crabmeat
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish (see note)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain it.
- While the pasta is cooking, put the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until done to your liking. Scoop out and drain on paper towels, leaving those magical drippings in the pan.
- Pour the wine into the skillet and stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes, scraping up any delectable bacon pieces stuck on the bottom of the pan. Pour in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the cream sauce and toss. Add the cooked bacon, the crab, basil, lemon juice and toss again. Drizzle in the pasta water if you need to loosen up the sauce at all, and keep gently tossing until the crab is warmed through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among warmed plates and start twirling up that pasta deliciousness!
Notes
If fresh basil is out of season or you can’t find it in the supermarket (sob!) you can sub in fresh parsley which you can find pretty much all year round!
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. Let’s cook together!
Hi Kate, am I missing something, what do you do with the bacon after you cook it?
Jane! Thank goodness for you, and what was I thinking leaving out the bacon of all things! You stir it in with the crab, and it’s all fixed now. Thank you – phew! :)