In case you haven’t noticed, I love me some bacon. Don’t believe me? Check out my Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, Salted Caramel Bacon Monkey Bread, Bacon Upside-Down Cornbread, Praline Bacon, or Bacon Wrapper Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Tenders for a few examples. There’s just something about that smoky, salty, bacony goodness that gets me each and every time.
That’s why this Tomato Bacon Pasta has been in the rotation ever since Heather came home with the recipe years back. I’ve, of course, put my own little spin on it and simplified things a bit.
The acid from the tomatoes is the perfect complement to the smoky bacon.
This amazing dish serves as a stellar side but works as a main dish as well. For even more protein, you could add in some grilled chicken if you’re looking to make this the star of supper.
With only 5 ingredients (6 if you count the salt), it’s pretty easy to get made, too. I just know y’all are going to love it as much as we do!
Recipe Card
Tomato and Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) box bowtie pasta
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves, garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Fry the bacon to crispy, drain, then crumble. Set aside.
- Drain away all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Return the skillet to medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook in the bacon grease until the onion is translucent - 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with the juice and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the crumbled bacon and mix well. Add the pasta and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve hot.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Sabrina
My great grandmother made this every week for her family. She used spaghetti noodles. She was a school lunch lady & they were very poor. This recipe has really stood the test of time. Everyone in my family loves it & refers to it as “Mama Wilson’s Spaghetti”.
Thank you for reminding me of this. I will try the bow tie noodles sometime.
You’re the best, Stacey!
Thanks for sharing that sweet memory with us! Hope you’ll enjoy!!
Jen L.
YUM! I first found a bacon pasta like this at one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Was a little icked-out at first, but then I tried it and LOVE it. Make it all the time.
josheli
I make something similar but add a bit of jalapeno, cilantro and leftover chicken.
Yum! Sounds delish!
Furgs
I’ve made versions of this… Delicious! I use olive oil instead of veggie oil, plus toss in some of whatever fresh herbs I have at hand.
Music City Missy
I never thought of it this way. I had never made macaroni & tomatoes until I got married and my husband requested it since his mom made it. Now he says mine is better than mom’s by far.
I make a pappa e pomodoro soup and use good ole American bacon in lieu of pancetta. I bet taking a few tips from the soup would also be great with this pasta dish – a little fresh basil, a dollop of marscapone and a twist I learned from a restaurant here – take some good bread with a chew (I use the baguetts from Costco) and tear the inner part into nice size crumbs. Toss with melted butter and toast. Use to top pasta dishes – adds a wonderful crunch to counter the softness of the pasta.
In fact, this might be supper tonight now.
Abby Cole
This was a staple meal growing up in the 80’s. We were very poor so we didn’t always have bacon but of course had the drippings! Whenever I miss home I whip up a batch of macaroni and tomatoes and life is good again! Your recipe is a great way to fancy it up for decent company…LOL THanks
This IS a great comfort food! Give it a try. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Belinda
I’ve tried this recipe and it is wonderful !!!!!!