BLT Pasta

Why we love this recipe

Okay, so any of you who have been reading this here blog for more than a week or so know that I consider bacon to be one of the main food groups.  

Bacon guacamole, bacon and and egg burgers, warm bacon salad dressing..BRING HOME THE BACON.

So what took me so long to make bacon, lettuce and tomato pasta?  Who knows…but I finally did.  Because if it’s good enough for a sandwich, it’s good enough for pasta.  Right? Right!

Please meet the cast of characters. The first one needs no introduction, but I’ll say it anyway…BACON!

You can use whatever kind of bacon is your fave – we are head over heels for Dakin Farms bacon from Vermont.

The tomato part is not being played by big guys that you put in the sandwich, but by cherry tomatoes, which somehow manage to remain sweet and wonderful all year long. Meaning you can make this recipe in February if you feel like it.

Now comes the lettuce, and while I am all for trying offbeat cooking methods, the part of the lettuce in this recipe is being played by its close cousin, baby spinach.

Cook up the bacon, cook the tomatoes and the spinach in the drippings, add some cooked pasta, mix it all up and serve it with some crispy breadcrumbs on top. Dinner happiness, all in about 30 minutes.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Here’s how to make this recipe

Make the breadcrumbs by heating a couple teaspoons or so of olive oil in a large skillet, adding a half cup of fresh bread crumbs and stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Cook 8 ounces of chopped bacon in the same skillet until crisp, remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add a cup of halved  cherry tomatoes to skillet with bacon drippings and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until they are broken down a little.

Add a half cup of white wine wine to skillet and simmer until wine is almost evaporated. Add a half cup of chicken broth and  simmer for 5 minutes.

While all that is going on, cook 12 ounces of linguine or spaghetti according to package directions and drain. Add 9 ounces of baby spinach to the skillet and toss with tongs over low heat until it is wilted.  

Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Add pasta and bacon and toss again until well mixed.

Divide among plates, top with bread crumbs and serve. And if this isn’t the very best way to eat your spinach, I don’t know what is!

What to serve with this recipe

One of the best parts of this recipe is that it has the pasta and the veggies (and the bacon!) all in one pan, but we would never say no to more tomatoes on the side with this simple tomato goat cheese salad. Or a plate of zucchini carpaccio salad to kick things off? Some sheet pan rosemary focaccia is perfect with any pasta recipe, and for dessert? Let’s have some sweet and easy honeybun cake!

Other pasta with bacon recipes we love!

We want to know what you think! 🤔

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

BLT Pasta

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This easy recipe for BLT Pasta turns the classic sandwich into supper, with baby spinach playing the part of the lettuce!

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (whirl up a slice or two of bread in your food processor!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt
• 8 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup white wine
• 12 ounces linguine
• 6 ounces baby spinach

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Instructions

1. Make the bread crumbs by heating olive oil in a large skillet, adding bread crumbs and stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in the same skillet until crisp, remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add tomatoes to skillet with bacon drippings and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until they are broken down a little.
4. Add wine to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
6. Add spinach to the skillet and toss with tongs over low heat until it is wilted.  Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
7. Add pasta and bacon and toss again until well mixed.
8. Divide among plates, top with bread crumbs and serve!

Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!