My kids declared this bacon spaghetti one of the best meals that I have made and I have to agree, this spaghetti was really good.
But, how could it be bad when it contains a pound of bacon? Anything with a pound of bacon in it has to be good, doesn’t it?!
As soon as I saw this recipe in one of my pork cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. We love spaghetti and we love bacon, so I knew combining the two would make a perfect meal.
This is basically a version of a baked spaghetti, but the bacon in it makes it a little different. It also contains very little cheese compared to many baked spaghetti recipes, but the amount of bacon in it, makes up for the lack of cheese.
I think the combination of pasta, sauce, bacon, and cheese is perfect in this.
If you like bacon, you need to try this. Seriously, this is really that good.
Bacon Spaghetti
Bacon makes everything better, even spaghetti.
Ingredients
- 8 ounce spaghetti noodles ( use gluten free pasta for gluten free version )
- 1 lb bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 -14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese ( I use the real stuff, not the stuff from the green can.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in water until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, fry the bacon until browned and cooked completely.
- Drain bacon, reserving a few tablespoons of grease.
- Cook onion and pepper in reserved bacon grease until tender and lightly browned.
- In a large bowl combine bacon, cooked onion and pepper mixture, tomatoes, and spices. Add cooked spaghetti noodles and mix together well.
- Spread into a greased 9x13 pan or other similar casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until heated.
Notes
For gluten-free version use gluten-free pasta and read labels to make sure the ingredients are gluten-free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 1429mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 25g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
Sounds like something I will be trying very soon! Uses ingredients I have. (oh no, out of bell pepper & they are so expensive right now…last evening saw they were $1.44 @ Wal-Mart & every bit of that @ our local grocery store the other day!!) I always look for delicious/simple recipes with 4 children ages 18 mo -6 yrs. I often don’t have the ‘real’ Parmesan on hand, just that ‘stuff’ from the can!! 🙂 Will it matter?
@Lois, I think you could leave the pepper out of it and it would be fine. As for the cheese, I am not sure the canned stuff would melt and give it the same texture, but it is probably worth trying. If you do, let me know if it works.
Oh man, if I didn’t already have plans for the bacon in the fridge… This is going on the menu plan, pronto!
We finally got around to trying this recipe tonight and it was delicious! We didn’t use onions or peppers (didn’t have any in the house for once), but I bet that would have made it even better. I think we are going to add mushrooms next time too.
So good and easy!
sounds yummy!
I used your wedding soup meatballs instead of bacon. Shell pasta instead of spaghetti. My husband and toddler loved it. We ate more than half just for dinner tonight. Thanks for ur easy recipes, I love ur site
@renee, I forgot to say, used sweet red pepper instead of green pepper.
I finally got around to making this. I had been wanting to ever since you posted the recipe. Everyone loved it. I added celery and a little crushed tomatoes to go with the diced, but other than that it was all the same. I did however try a version of it for myself (the rest of the family ate the original version) that was low carb. I had some spaghetti squash that I subbed for the regular noodles and I also sauteed a bag of spinach in the bacon grease and added that to the rest. It was so good! Thanks for the recipe, I’m adding it to my rotation!
@Kate, Thanks Kate for letting me know how much your family enjoyed it. Your low carb version sounds great also.
Thanks for sharing your great idea with the spaghetti squash:) We love it and I’m always looking for new recipes using it. I have made this with pasta and it was dangerously good, I mean like I had to stop myself from eating it all:) Now I cannot wait to try it your way with the squash and spinach.
Hi Lynn,
I wasn’t sure if I should drain the cans of tomatoes or not and so I did. But, I think I probably shouldn’t have since the spaghetti dish seemed too dry. Can you clarify that???
You do not drain the tomatoes. The sauce needs that extra liquid, so I am guessing that is why it was dry. Usually a recipe will say drain in it if it is needed to drain the tomatoes, vegetables, etc. I hope that helps.
Lynn…you burst my bubble! Somehow I equated you with healthy meals & recipes. What gives?
Lynn, Three questions… Is the real parmesan cheese for this recipe powdery like the stuff in the green can or is it in shreds? Also, why do you have to bake it for so long after everything is cooked? Seems like 20-30 min would be sufficient to heat everything since all your ingredients are already cooked and already somewhat warm – only worried that 40 min would dry out the recipe. And do you cover with foil while baking or bake uncovered? Thanks SO much!!
I prefer the shredded kind. You can use the stuff in the green can, but the shredded kind is better. You can easily reduce the cooking time if you want. I am not sure 20 minutes would get everything hot and melted all the way through, but 30 minutes would probably be enough. I like to bake it closer to 40 to make sure it is nice and hot all the way through, but you could easily cut that down. And I just baked it uncovered. I hope that helps and that you enjoy it.
Thanks!!