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READY IN 30 mins

Bacon and Parmesan Penne Pasta

Read Reviews (41)

"This pasta recipe is so easy to make and so flavorful, you will want to make it part of your regular dinner routine. It is a great option for bacon lovers, and those who want something other than red sauce on their pasta. " — SusieQ

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 8 servings Change Servings

1 pound bacon, coarsely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pound dry penne pasta

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Directions

Place the chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the bacon is crisp and the onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
While the bacon and onion are cooking, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl, and stir in the olive oil to coat the pasta.
Drain the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving a couple of tablespoons or to taste. Stir the cooked bacon mixture into the pasta, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Stir to mix in the cheese, and serve.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 30 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
Add enough bacon grease to the pasta to get the consistency you want. If you drain all the grease, the pasta may be too dry. Additionally, the grease adds a lot of flavor.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 18, 2010

We liked this A LOT! The only thing I think next time is that I will cook the onions seperately from the bacon. They didn't burn or anything, they just got a little darker than I would have liked. I think I will even cook a few cloves of minced garlic w/ the onions too! I added some garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley for a little extra flavor/color. This was really tasty! Thanks for sharing. :)

—Christina

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 24, 2010

I wasn't fond of this. My fiance had "dinner duty" tonight. I have been working late all week (rough week in general). I haven't had any energy to spend time in the kitchen, but am sick of take-out (my fiance is too). I had all of the ingredients to make this handy and my fiance and I thought this sounded yummy, so we decided to go for it. I must say (despite my mediocre review), this certainly was easy to put together and made for a quick, weeknight meal. Unfortunately, the end result was VERY dry - and BLAND!!! We even added more bacon grease than called for, a few (fresh) garlic cloves and pepper (no salt b/c Parmesan is salty enough). Served bowls of pasta with sliced baugettes slathered with garlic butter (Denyse). The garlic butter was the best part of our meal lol! Although I don't think this is "terrible," I won't waste my time making it again. Thanks anyways, SusieQ! :-)

—Chef Mickey (aka Mickey)

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50 Ratings

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Jul 05, 2010

Good as is but next time I might add to cooked penne some seeded cut up tomatoes making it a BPPT(bacon,parm,penne,tom)also a bit of garlic powder.

—DeeLee

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Jul 13, 2010

Really good and super easy. The only thing I added was a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar. Everyone enjoyed this very much. Thanks!

—Leslie

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Jul 02, 2010

Recipe needs a bit more flavor. Suggestions: cook bacon separate from onions. Saute onions and added sliced garlic in olive oil. Salt & pepper. Chopped fresh parsley. And for the 1/4 cup olive oil, use a Garlic Infused olive oil. (That's another recipe!) But, on the whole, the base recipe is a great start for a wonderfully flavorful dish.

—TriciaLee

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Sep 07, 2011

This recipe is absolutely awesome! I added one can of Huntz diced tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano. I got rave reviews from everyone!

—Jamie

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Apr 11, 2011

I made this as a side dish with baked pesto chicken, it was so simple yet so good, and as my husband always says...bacon makes everything better!

—Mrs. Chef Esh

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Dec 06, 2011

Really loved this! My son was especially crazy about it. Very easy and delicious. I left in all the bacon grease which made it even better, if not so healthy -haha! Thanks!

—Merana123

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Nutrition

Calories
412 kcal
21%

Carbohydrates
45.5 g
15%

Cholesterol
25 mg
8%

Fat
17.3 g
27%

Fiber
2.8 g
11%

Protein
17.2 g
34%

Sodium
509 mg
20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Bacon and Parmesan Penne Pasta

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 412
Calories from Fat: 156

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17.3g 27 %
Saturated Fat 4.6g 23 %
Cholesterol 25mg 8 %
Sodium 509mg 20 %
Potassium 194mg 5 %
Total Carbohydrates 45.5g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 2.8g 11 %
Protein 17.2g 34 %
Sugars 1.4g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 9 %
Iron 22 %
Thiamin 43 %
Niacin 60 %
Vitamin B6 10 %
Magnesium 12 %
Folate 59 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.