This smoky, spicy and super easy 5 ingredient Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio recipe is perfect for the bacon lover! Learn how to make this traditional Italian recipe in exactly 20 minutes from start to finish.
Please tell me you are a bacon lover! Because then we can be best friends for life. My love for bacon is passionate and strong. Which is evident in the two recipes with bacon I have on the blog. Great going Richa. Today I'm changing all of that with this 5 ingredient bacon spaghetti aglio olio for the bacon lover in you!
Denver says that his favorite dish ever is a simple Spaghetti Aglio Olio. I didn't even know that till recently Since I'm a super loving wife and all, I decided to take things up a notch or two. Presenting Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio. Denver's reaction: *continues stuffing his face* while I ask him if he likes it.
This is one of those recipes that you should always have in your back pocket because it's the quickest way to get a hot, tasty meal on the table. The only major time involved is cooking the spaghetti, and if you already have some cooked spaghetti in the fridge, then it's a matter of 5 minutes.
I first tried this at a fancy hotel a loooong time ago and was amazed at how delicious something so simple can taste. Even before I decided to make a variation of this classic Italian pasta with bacon, I knew it would work. First, everything works with bacon. Second, EVERYTHING works with bacon
The only pre-requisite to this fabulous recipe is to get quality ingredients. Since there are only 5 ingredients, it's important to use ingredients that really shine. It's also important to cook everything just right. Don't overcook your spaghetti or it'll become a mushy noodle which is not appetizing at all. Don't buy very fatty bacon or you will have too much fat and no bacon.
I know some of you are vegetarians so you can skip the bacon and just make plain, simple Spaghetti Aglio Olio.
BTW I bought a new Cast Iron pan last weekend. Yes, yet another one. I have a total of three now, all in varying sizes and I love each and everyone of them! Needless to say, I've been using the new Lodge pan every chance I get. Case in point: Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio. I think I spend waaay more money on kitchen equipment than I do on food Make me stooooooop.
Are you a Bacon lover? Try These Recipes:
- Spicy Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Bacon Rosemary Mushroom Chicken Thighs
- Sauteed Brown Sugar Bacon Garlic Green Beans
- 15 Bacon Recipes that will give you reason to celebrate!
Follow me on Pinterest to get more bacon recipes!
Watch Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio Recipe Video
5 Ingredient Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Ingredients
- 400 grams Spaghetti
- 6 Strips Bacon diced
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil optional
- 6 - 7 Cloves Garlic finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon Chili Flakes
- ¼ cup Parsley fresh , finely chopped
Instructions
- Boil spaghetti in salted water as per package directions until al dente. Reserve cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
- While the pasta is boiling, heat a large pan or skillet and add the diced bacon to it. Cook till the bacon is slightly crisp and light brown. Remove bacon on a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving bacon fat in the pan. Leave the flame on.
- Add olive oil to the pan, if using, along with the chopped garlic. Saute for a minute or so and add the chili flakes. Cook for 30 seconds and add the reserved pasta water. Bring this to a boil and continue boiling till the liquid reduces by half.
- Add spaghetti, salt and bacon to the pan, and cook till the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce which coats the pasta. Stir in parsley and let it rest for five minutes before serving.
Notes
- Always add the pasta to boiling water. Never add pasta to warm or room temperature water. Time it and cook it till al dente.
- Reserve some of the pasta water as the starch present in this will help thicken the sauce.
- Cook bacon on medium high heat instead of low heat. Slow cooking tends to make the it limp. Do not overcook.
- Do not throw away the bacon fat. This holds a lot of flavour so make sure to use it.
- Time it so that the spaghetti gets cooked just about the same time the bacon is crispy. This way the spaghetti won't harden and the bacon won't lose it's crispiness.
- Feel free to swap the bacon for something else like bacon (see mushroom spaghetti aglio olio) or shrimp (see shrimp aglio olio)
Elizabeth says
Will this recipe work with gluten free pasta, if the gluten in the pasta water is needed to thicken the sauce?
Richa says
Yes and yes. GF pasta does tend to have a slightly different texture but it should be great nevertheless.
Morten Johansen says
Even better if you replace bacon with pancetta
Chitra Reddy says
Delicious!
Carmel says
Amazing and such an easy recipe. Cooked it for my husband and he loved it. It was packed with so much flavor.
Richa Gupta says
Thanks, Carmel! Aglio Olio is such a comforting flavour-packed dish!
Heather says
I love this recipe. It's a go to meal for me and my husband. We combined your Mushroom agio olio with this one. We fry up the bacon, take it out with a slotted spoon and throw in the garlic, mushroom, and throw in some onion. It's delicious! Thank you!
Richa says
Soooo happy you liked the recipe Heather! Thank you for leaving a comment
Nipuni says
Looks delicious but will defo try coriander instead of parsley .Yum Yum
Samantha says
Its good but it way to spicy. I had to toss it. Next time I make I'm leaving out the chili leaves
Tom says
Hi !! I just whipped this recipe up and it turned out FANTASTIC !! I think my ratios of garlic to parsley were a little unbalanced, but it was yum. I’ll be coming back to this one in the future. Great stuff, thanks.
Richa says
So glad you liked it!
Lo says
This sounded really good, but unfortunately, I think there are a few issues with the recipe:
The recipe calls for adding the pasta and bacon to the boiling water-oil-garlic—flakes and to let a thickened sauce form, however oil and water does not make a thick sauce, and when the pasta is added, it soaks the liquid right up.
The ingredients do not call for salt, but the directions do.
The amount of flakes called for makes these obscenely hot - too hot to eat, even for my Indonesian husband who loves heat so much he hardly has taste buds left.
Not sure what I did wrong, but this was inedible when I made it. 🙁
Richa says
Hey there, pasta water contains gluten from boiling the pasta which actually thickens as it cooks. I hope you used the reserved pasta water (as mentioned in step#1) instead of regular water. I'm sorry I missed listing out the salt in the ingredients and I've fixed that now. As for chilli flakes, its a personal taste and you can reduce them if its too hot for you.
maria amaya says
I just had this recipe for lunch. I added some onions, it was delicious¡¡¡¡¡
Richa says
Yay! Onions are such a great addition! Glad you liked it!
Momma G says
This is absolutely delicious! Quick, easy and amazing.
Richa says
Thank you! So glad you liked it