As I was perusing the Tasty Kitchen offerings, this Bacon Tomato Capellini recipe jumped out at me. It actually jumped out of the screen, grabbed me by the neck, and forced me to make it. Bacon has that way about it, a mysterious, addicting, intoxicating way that grips you at the core and won’t let go. Plus pasta is involved. Pasta and bacon? What’s not to like?
A big thanks to PlanoSheila for sharing the love on this one. It turned out just like she said it would: “unbelievable.” Magnificent, really. It’s an easy recipe to throw together. Six simple ingredients (salt is optional, and the bacon grease is a by-product of the bacon) are all you’ll need to create a dinner that folks within sniffing distance will be flocking to. So barricade your door, get the bacon, and let’s get to it.
Here’s what you’ll need: bacon, of course, bacon grease, fresh basil, green onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, salt (optional), and capellini or angel hair pasta.
Start by chopping the produce. Give the basil a quick rough chop.
Then the green onion and garlic.
Next, begin frying the bacon. Not too crispy, though.
While the bacon is frying, pour the diced tomatoes in a bowl.
Add the the chopped basil.
Mix tomato and basil together and set aside to mingle.
Finish frying the bacon, remove it from the pan and let cool.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the bacon grease.
Pour the 1/2 cup of bacon grease in a large sauté pan. If you’d like, you can use the same pan that you fried the bacon in—you don’t even need to clean it!
Look at all of that bacon goodness, just waiting to make friends with the rest of the bunch. Warm the bacon grease over medium heat.
When the bacon grease is ready, add the green onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, until just beginning to brown. Be careful to watch closely so you don’t burn the garlic. Burnt garlic will make you sad. And this is happy cooking here on Tasty Kitchen.
While the onion and garlic are sautéing, crumble the bacon.
Add all of the crumbled bacon to the pan, except maybe two pieces. Okay, three, but who’s counting?
Combine well, and sauté the bacon, onions and garlic over low heat for about 10 minutes.
The temptation. Doesn’t it look like the perfect appetizer? Be strong. Put the spoon down. Keep going.
The tomato/basil mixture goes in next.
Combine well, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
It will cook down and thicken a bit.
Cook the pasta according to packaging directions (don’t forget to salt your pasta water!) and drain.
You’re almost there! Bacon, pasta dreamland awaits! Can you smell it?
I like to combine the pasta directly in the pan with the sauce, but you can always combine it all together in your favorite large serving dish.
Gently toss the pasta with the sauce, making sure to coat pasta well. Taste and add salt if needed. I didn’t add any as the bacon seemed to add enough saltiness to the dish.
Again, thanks Sheila for the recipe. My family wanted to call you to thank you in person. This one is definitely going to be a regular around here. I don’t think I have a choice.
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Description
The flavor of this pasta dish is unbelievable! When I’m having someone for dinner for the first time, this is what I make. My kids have gotten mad at me for making it when they’re not home, and my husband LOVES this dish!
Ingredients
- 2 packages (16 Oz. Package) Bacon, Naturally Flavored
- ½ cups Bacon Grease, From The Bacon You're Cooking
- 2 cans (28 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes, Nothing Added
- ½ cups Chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
- 1 bunch Chopped Green Onions
- 2 teaspoons Salt (optional)
- 1 box (16 Oz. Box) Capellini Or Angel Hair Pasta
Preparation Instructions
Fry bacon in a large frying pan, making sure it’s cooked thoroughly but not too crispy. Drain cooked bacon on paper towels, but don’t throw away the grease in the pan! You want to reserve 1/2 cup bacon grease. Dump the rest of the bacon grease out, then put the skillet back on the stove without cleaning it. Trust me. When the bacon is cool, use your fingers to tear it into small pieces. (Please, don’t ever use store bought bacon bits in this recipe.) Set your cooked, crumbled bacon aside.
Now, open your tomato cans and dump them into a large bowl. Throw in the chopped fresh basil and stir. You want to be able to see the basil, distributed evenly in the tomatoes, so if you have to add more, you can. Set this bowl aside and let the flavors mingle while you do the next step.
Dice your garlic, and chop your green onions. Pour your 1/2 cup of bacon grease back into the skillet and heat it to medium. Throw in and saute your garlic and onions. When they’re getting a nice tan from the color of the bacon grease, add your bacon. On low heat, saute the bacon together with the garlic and onions for around ten minutes. When you start getting high from the smell in your kitchen, pour in the bowl of tomatoes and basil. Stir together really well, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook your pasta according the directions on the package. Drain noodles and set aside. Right before serving, in a very large bowl, add the bacon/tomato sauce to the noodles and mix well.
This stuff is also pretty amazing reheated the next day. I usually just pop it into the microwave for a minute or two.
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.
72 Comments
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Aimee on 9.25.2010
This was AMAZING. Made it last night – so fast, so simple, and yet so flavorful. Entire family loved it!
Thank you for sharing.
susie on 8.29.2010
Sorry, this was horrible unless you like the taste of bacon, bacon and more bacon.
Never again.
Patti W on 8.28.2010
Just made this for dinner. OMG~~It was very bit as good as something I’d find in a gourmet restaurant.
Used a double smoked bacon and the aroma is still lingering.
As for the bacon grease, we do eat healthy the majority of the time but every now and then we throw caution to the wind and indulge. And really, there isn’t all that much grease per serving….we just can’t eat like that every day.
Usually, when trying a new recipe, I’ll think of different things to do with it the next time. This recipe really doesn’t need any tweaking.
JanelleM on 8.27.2010
Yummy! Made this for dinner the other night and it disappeared! So good, never mind the 1/2 cup bacon grease and two packages of bacon! I needed something very flavorful and rich that night and it hit the spot.
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef on 8.27.2010
oh my! looks incredible.
GenainDallas on 8.26.2010
I made this last night and it was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve eaten. Not a big fan of pasta, but love bacon and tomatoes. Ate leftovers for lunch at work today. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
on 8.26.2010
THATS SPAGHETTI!!!!! not capellini!
Manuel on 8.26.2010
this is not an Italian dish. I am Italian and I saw the bacon only inside the CARBONARA.
Trish in MO on 8.25.2010
Hey, PlanoSheila needs your photo uploaded to her recipe!
Trish on 8.25.2010
Oh. My. Goodness. I made this last night…. I used leeks and fresh tomatoes because that’s what I had on hand, but it was DEEE….VINE!
thesweetest on 8.23.2010
Hot damn, this sounds good. I loves me some bacon.
Jaime G on 8.23.2010
After seeing this recipe, I knew I had to make it for my family. Not surprising, it was a hit! (Truth be told, my 4 year old wouldn’t eat it because he could see chunks of tomatos…his loss :). My 1 year old ate 3 plate fulls, and my husband said eat would eat this as often as I was willing to make it. I also cut the 1/2 cup of bacon grease down to 1/4 cup. There was still plenty of bacon flavor throughout the dish.
Thanks for a delish recipe!
chocolatesbyselene on 8.23.2010
I am making it with my home grown tomatoes and I am adding a few extra cherry tomatoes for good measure. I am so excited I can’t stand myself!
Destiny on 8.23.2010
I made this for me & my 7yr old daughter last night & we both LOVED it! It was super easy & tasted delicious! I’m sure it’s going to be a “must” in our house from now on! Thanks!
Shelly on 8.22.2010
Yeah! A bacon/pasta recipe that doesn’t include cream! I’ve been looking for one of these 4-ever!! My husband groaned every time I want to make spaghetti carbonara…just because I wanted to do bacon & pasta, now I’ve got a good recipe for him! Can’t wait to try it!!
peggywmshayes on 8.22.2010
I made this for lunch today – not too much leftover, my husband loved it (me too)!!
Ingrid on 8.22.2010
Very nice site. New to blogging and like your recipe. Very nice. Keep em coming. Viva España!!
MissyF on 8.22.2010
Thanks PlanoSheila! That is exactly what I did. I figured if I was going to make sauce anyway I would begin the same way here. I can not wait to make this tonight!
Amanda H. on 8.21.2010
Wow. That looks delicious. My daughter’s 2 favorite foods are pasta and bacon (yes, I’m raising her right haha), so I’m sure combining them will be such a hit. Looking forward to seeing her face when I serve this! Thanks!
Susan F on 8.21.2010
Delicious, my 3 year old nephew started making slurping sounds as soon as he tasted this, and then he ate his whole plateful without prompting. A compliment of the highest order as he’s a picky eater and mostly has to be forced to eat.
We all enjoyed this, thank you!
on 8.21.2010
Oh wow… I will have to try this. We already love the taste of bacon with pasta (a sort of Spaghetti Carbonara). I never thought of combining bacon with a red sauce.
Beccy on 8.21.2010
Made this last night and it was sooo de-lish…comfort food to the max! Mmm…
cookincanuck on 8.21.2010
Sinful – in a really good way. I have a very difficult stopping myself from eating bacon and I’m sure I could just wile the hours away by eating forkful after forkful of this.
OkieLinda on 8.21.2010
I made your Bacon-Tomato Capellini for dinner last night.
OH MY GOSH – First of all, my husband said, “WHAT A PRETTY MEAL!” (He’s never said that)
Then when we started eating it, after lots of ‘Mmmmmm’ noises, we both went back for seconds and he wants it reheated for breakfast now! (But its even great cold – I sneaked some about midnight!)
Wow! Thanks for this great recipe!
TR on 8.21.2010
WOW… I tried this last night.
It is sooooo wonderful! I’m going
to use it as a guest night dish! I did
hold out the bacon until the very last
minute because I wanted it to stay
crunchy (I can’t take wimpy bacon).
Again, WOW!, It was super good!
Courtney on 8.21.2010
Made this for dinner last night for my husband and I. (I halved the recipe.) It was absolutely delicious! Despite the bacon grease, the dish was light. As in not heavy. SO good!!! And easy. Yummy with some cheesy garlic bread!! Thanks for sharing; I will make this again, for sure!!!
Amy from She Wears Many Hats (missamy) on 8.21.2010
Hey y’all!
Yes, Planosheila, good point. I should’ve written in the tutorial that the amounts shown are for serving 8. Which makes it the perfect recipe for having your favorite people over for a yummy meal, and maybe a game of parcheesi?
PlanoSheila on 8.21.2010
People are freaking out about the bacon grease, but honestly it’s 1/2 cup for 8 servings of food. So you’re only getting around 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in a serving. Not a big deal in the scheme of things.
Sara in Okla on 8.21.2010
A little comment for those who fear the bacon grease, my darling late husband grew up eating bacon & eggs every meal, lard biscuits, meat and gravy every meal — he succumbed to cardiomyopathy/congestive heart failure in his 50’s — autopsy revealed arteries like a teenager, no hardening, etc. Doctor believes it was a virus that killed his heart – – and that infection is more often the culprit in heart disease — we know calories DO count and moderation in all things is wise — just passing on a personal experience –
Stephanie Sh on 8.21.2010
Wow….talk about easy!! This looks delish!! Thank you so much for adding a new meal to my menu – that my children will actually like!!
Dyepotgirl on 8.21.2010
This recipe is brilliant and delicious! Well….The slight alteration of this recipe that I made for my family was really delicious so I know that this one must be too because I made this recipe’s sister. I needed something for dinner relatively quickly and didn’t want to run to the store (which is quite a distance away) so I improvised. I didn’t have as much bacon as the original recipe called for so I used about 12 oz of bacon and about one third of a cup of bacon grease. I used chopped fresh tomatoes instead of canned and a big Vidalia onion because I only had 1 scallion, which I used for a garnish. I simmered the sauce for a bit because I used fresh tomatoes, then I added about 1 cup of heavy cream to the sauce, and simmered it a bit more which made it really lovely. It was a huge hit and I didn’t have to worry about any leftovers! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
DaCook on 8.20.2010
Many of us grew up using only lard as our cooking oil. I always use bacon grease to season certain foods. And this is one that would definitely benefit from it!
But, I don’t fry it any longer. I use my George Foreman Grill to cook my bacon and the grease drains into the holding cups to be strained for seasonings. Also, no more splattering, popping and grease burns.
I have a feeling my husband who does not care for pasta, would love this recipe!
Christina on 8.20.2010
I found a recipe that’s similar to this except mine calls for cream cheese and parmesan cheese. It really makes the sauce unbelievably creamy! The recipe is available on my blog: http://itsakeeper.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/one-pot-blt-pasta/
I can’t wait to try your variation though!
You have a great blog! And, great photos!
krisd on 8.20.2010
I bet this would be perfect with the white wine I’m enjoying right now – YUM! Thanks for sharing!
magt on 8.20.2010
YUM!!! Just finished dinner and that was awesome! Used a large chopped onion instead of the green onion and added about 1/2 c of white wine to the simmering sauce. Delicious!
Jill on 8.20.2010
I made this for dinner tonight! It was delicious!!!!
liljean on 8.20.2010
Looks Fabulous!! Bacon makes everything better:)
Louise on 8.20.2010
You know bacon grease is not good for you!!! But the heck with that, I can’t wait to try this. I’m smelling bacon tonight!!!
Jaime on 8.20.2010
This is evil. Evil is good. How weird is that?
PlanoSheila on 8.20.2010
I saw a comment or two asking how to modify using fresh tomatoes. This is actually better with fresh tomatoes. You just get 5 or 6 medium tomatoes, cut a cross in the base of each one and throw them into boiling water until the skin begins to peel back a little. Submerge in cold water and then chop those babies up.
Shari on 8.20.2010
OMG, I MUST make this! The hubs was just reminding me that we have a bunch of basil growing and I need to use it more!
Connie on 8.20.2010
My kids are gonna love this!! Bacon AND spaghetti in one meal?! How can you go wrong?
Heeyeon on 8.20.2010
wow that just looks so amazing. I’m totally salivating at the computer right now!
cbp on 8.20.2010
My daughter and I were just cooking up a mess of bacon for BLT’s and while the aroma was wafting through the air we decided we could eat bacon on just about anything. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I swear Miss Amy… I think your pictures will be the inspiration for the invention of smell-a-vision. You are one amazingly talented gal!
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen on 8.20.2010
My behind grew just looking at that shot of you pouring the bacon grease into the pan. Pasta and bacon were made for each other. This thing looks so good!
SMITH BITES on 8.20.2010
A terrific take on traditional Carbonara – which has far more fat with egg, cream and butter. And with all those extra tomatoes in the garden right now, perfect for summer!
Wenderly on 8.20.2010
I could just crawl right in and live forever inside that gorgeous heap of pasta, tomato & bacon.
Trailboss from Kentucky on 8.20.2010
Great. I just ate lunch and I am hungry all over again. This looks so good! Going to print it right now!
Celia on 8.20.2010
Sort of reminiscent of “Macaroni & Tomatoes,” that I grew up on. It was just cooked pasta, canned tomatoes, flavored a/bacon drippings. I used to fix it for my 3 kids for lunch & still throw it together for myself sometimes when hubby’s gone. THIS looks even better with the basil & onions & bacon! But even I can’t imagine 1/2 c bacon grease.
Amber on 8.20.2010
Amy, this looks so uber delicious that words have failed me and I’ve used ‘uber’. My mouth is watering.