Bacon Pasta Primavera
This recipe for a one pot combo of pasta mixed with bacon and veggies and topped with feta cheese will have them asking for seconds!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Kernels from 4 ears of corn
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces short pasta
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add bacon, stirring it up until it is nice and crisp. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon and let it drain on paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Add the chopped onion to the drippings and cook it up, stirring frequently until the onion softens and begins to brown. Add broth, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and give it all a good stir.
- Add 10 ounces of short pasta (like penne or bow-ties), give it all a stir, put the lid on the pot and let it cook for the amount of time indicated on the pasta box. Give it a stir every couple of minutes so it doesn’t stick to the pan. At the end, taste and if you think it needs more time, give it another minute or two (and add water if it looks too dry).
- Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, add the corn and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted. Stir in the bacon and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls, top with feta cheese and serve it up!
Notes
- Thick-cut bacon adds the richest smoky flavor and stays pleasantly meaty after cooking. Regular bacon will work too, but thick-cut gives the best texture.
- 🧅 A sweet onion softens as it cooks, adding just the right amount of sweetness to balance the smoky bacon and tangy feta.
- 🌽 Fresh corn is the star of this recipe. If corn isn’t in season, frozen corn (thawed) is a great substitute.
- 🍅 Tomato paste gives the broth a rich, savory depth without making the sauce heavy.
- 🍝 Short pasta such as cavatappi, rotini, penne or shells catches all the flavorful broth, bacon and corn in every bite.
- 🥬 Baby spinach wilts in just a minute or two, adding fresh color and a boost of nutrition.
- 🧀 Feta cheese adds creamy, tangy bites that perfectly complement the smoky bacon and sweet corn.
Find it online: https://www.framedcooks.com/bacon-pasta-primavera/