This pasta with bacon and spinach is an example of how delicious pasta is when cooked in broth instead of water. Read on this article of Apronese to see how to make pasta with bacon and spinach.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach or Other Greens?
Frozen spinach can be used in a pinch, but don’t chop it because it will be in a million tiny little pieces.
You can use other greens, such as collards, mustard, or kale. However, since they’re quite a bit more sturdy, you’ll need to sauté them down with the onion in the beginning.
Parmesan really makes this dish grand. It’s very flavorful, so a little is enough.
What Else Can I Add to This Pasta?
If you want to beef up this pasta dish a bit, you can add a rinsed and drained can of white beans, or sauté some mushrooms with the onions. A few red pepper flakes would be nice in here, too.
How to Make Pasta with Bacon and Spinach
Bacon and spinach pasta is a quick and flavorful dinner that only requires a few ingredients.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 10 mins / Cook Time: 20 mins / Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 6 oz. bacon ($2.15)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.25)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.28)
- 1/2 lb. pasta ($0.50)
- 1/4 lb. fresh spinach (about 4 cups) ($1.50)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan ($0.55)
Instructions
- Cut the bacon across the strips into one-inch pieces. Sauté the bacon in a large skillet until it is brown and crispy (no extra fat needed). Remove the browned bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Carefully pour the fat off into a separate bowl, leaving about one tablespoon in the skillet.
- While the bacon cooks, dice the onion. Once the bacon is removed and the fat is drained from the skillet, add the diced onions and sauté until they are soft and transparent. Allow the moisture from the onions to dissolve some of the browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
- Add two cups of chicken broth to the skillet and dissolve off any remaining browned bits of bacon drippings from the bottom of the skillet.
- Finally, add the uncooked pasta to the skillet, place a lid on top, and let the skillet come to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, give it a quick stir, turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes with the lid in place. Give the skillet a stir to loosen the pasta from the bottom every few minutes or so, replacing the lid quickly each time. After 10 minutes, the pasta should be tender and most of the broth is absorbed. There should be a little bit of thick, saucy broth remaining in the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the fresh spinach to the skillet and stir until it has wilted into the pasta. Turn off the heat, add the cooked bacon back to the skillet, sprinkle the Parmesan over top, stir to combine, and then serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 428.43 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 46.9 g ・ Protein: 17.1 g ・ Fat: 19.05 g ・ Sodium: 924.4 mg ・ Fiber: 2.75 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Bacon and Spinach Pasta – Step-by-step Photos
Step 1: Cut 6 oz. (1/2 of a 12oz. package) of bacon into one-inch strips. The second half will be frozen and used later.
Step 2: Sauté the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s brown and crispy.
Once the bacon is crispy, remove it to a bowl with a slotted spoon, and pour off the fat into a separate container, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the skillet.
When the poured off fat is cool, save it in the refrigerator to add flavor to other dishes, or if you’re not the bacon grease type of person, scoop it into the garbage. Do not rinse it down your drain.
Step 3: While the bacon is cooking, dice one small onion. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until it is soft and transparent.
The juices from the onion will begin to dissolve the browned bacon bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Step 4: Add two cups of chicken broth to the skillet. Stir well to dissolve the last of the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Step 5: Add the dry pasta to the skillet and place a lid on top. Turn the heat up to high and let the skillet come to a boil.
As soon as it reaches a boil, give it a quick stir, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Every few minutes, give the skillet a quick stir to loosen the pasta from the bottom and replace the lid quickly each time so that the broth continues to simmer.
Make sure the broth continues to simmer the entire time, turning the heat up just slightly if needed to maintain a simmer.
Step 6: After about 15 minutes, the pasta should be tender and most of the broth is absorbed. There should be a bit of saucy broth left in the bottom of the skillet.
Step 7: Once the pasta is cooked, add about 1/4 pound (or 3-4 cups) of fresh spinach to the skillet. Add a handful of the spinach at a time and stir it into the pasta until it wilts.
Step 8: Turn the heat off, add the cooked bacon back to the skillet, and sprinkle the Parmesan over top. Give it a quick stir to combine and then serve.
And that’s it! By simply changing up the add-ins, you can have an endless number of quick dinners for busy week nights. Bacon, spinach, and Parmesan are not cheap ingredients, so be a bit careful with this recipe.
