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Posted: 08/04/2022

Alfredo Pasta with Bacon

Name: Alfredo Pasta with Bacon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 16 oz. spaghetti noodles, dry (or other long pasta); 1/4 lb bacon; 1/4 cup butter; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; Parsley, for garnish (optional)

Total Time: 30 minutes ★★★★★ 4 Reviews Jump to Recipe

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A decadent dinner recipe, this Alfredo Pasta with Bacon would be the perfect meal for a special night in. It tastes as good as eating out!

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Bacon and pasta? Yes, please! If you also love this combo, check out this Chicken Bacon Pasta or Smoky Tomato Bacon Pasta.

Wondering what to serve with this Alfredo Pasta with Bacon? I love a good salad, like this Antipasto Salad, and some Breadsticks!

My husband loves Fettuccine Alfredo. It’s probably his favorite meal. But really, we don’t have it really often. It’s more of a special occasion meal.

And since we rarely go out for Valentine’s Day, (neither of us are big fans of going out to a crowded restaurant for the holiday), I often make him a big plate of this creamy Alfredo Pasta. This is a version that is super easy to make at home. And bonus – it has one of my favorite ingredients – bacon!

What is Alfredo Sauce?

Before I start, I want to make sure you know that I know the difference between fettuccine alfredo and this alfredo sauce. (That was a mouthful!)

Traditional Fettuccine Alfredo, which comes from Italy, is made simply with pasta, butter and Parmesan cheese. As the butter and cheese are mixed into the hot pasta, they emulsify to form a silky sauce on the pasta.

This Alfredo sauce is an Americanized version of the Italian favorite. In this version, you get a sauce made from butter and Parmesan, but you also add in cream, making a thick, creamy sauce.

Although not authentic, this sauce is decadent and delicious and it is definitely a favorite at our house!

How to Lighten Up Alfredo Sauce

Bacon, alfredo and pasta – pretty much a match made in heaven. But it does get a little heavy. Usually when I’m making a dish for a special occasion, I just go for it. But with this Alfredo Pasta, it’s possible to lighten up just a little bit without sacrificing flavor.

There’s only 1/4 pound of bacon in the entire recipe, but by utilizing the bacon grease as part of the fat to make the alfredo, you get tons of bacon flavor in every bite.
Instead of using all heavy cream, chicken broth is substituted in for over half of the liquid. You get all of the flavor with cutting back on the fat just a little bit.

Ingredients

Pasta: For some reason, I’ve always used spaghetti when I’ve made this recipe. Which is funny, because when I make it without the bacon, we usually use fettuccine noodles. But either work well here!

Bacon: You’ll want a good quality bacon, especially because you use a small amount.

Butter: I like to use unsalted butter – especially because the bacon and the cheese will bring in enough saltiness.

Flour: This recipe does call for a full 1/2 cup flour, so this is a thicker sauce. If you want a thinner sauce, feel free to cut that amount down. Others have successfully made it using 1/4 cup of flour.

Chicken Broth & Cream: I talked about this above, but the mixture of broth and cream will cut back on the richness, but still give you tons of flavor.

Parmesan Cheese: I always like to use freshly grated parmesan, as it will melt into the sauce the best.

Tips for Making this Alfredo Pasta

Don’t forget to save some of the cooking water. You want to use this water to loosen up the pasta instead of regular water because it has a high starch content because of the pasta. That starchy water helps not only to loosen the sauce, if needed, but to keep the sauce creamy.
You’ll want to cook your bacon instead of buying pre-cooked bacon because you need the bacon fat that is left after cooking your bacon to make the alfredo sauce. For this reason, you’ll want to cook your bacon on the stovetop instead of baking it. I always chop up the bacon before cooking.
Always use freshly grated Parmesan when you are making a sauce like this. The pre-grated cheese will not melt as well. I always buy a big wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano from Costco, but you can find a smaller wedge of Parmesan at most grocery stores.
I always add a good serving of fresh cracked pepper to my serving. This is optional, but I love it!

More Can’t Miss Pasta Recipes

Shrimp Alfredo
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta
Easy Parmesan Pasta
Lemon Chicken Pasta

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