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BLTs are a staple when it comes to easy and delicious sandwiches. I don’t often think about making them at home, but they are always a hit when I do. With bacon, crispy lettuce, and juicy tomatoes on a bun, what’s not to love? I was looking for a way to incorporate these same flavors into a dish more suitable for dinner. Thus, this pasta dish was born. Take a look at the video below to see how easily this meal comes together!
This pasta dish has everything you love about BLTs with a bit of a twist to accommodate for a piping hot meal. There’s of course bacon involved as well as cherry tomatoes. The lettuce is swapped out for baby spinach, which pairs nicely with the other flavors in the dish while still maintaining the spirit of the original sandwich.
The best part of this recipe, in my opinion, is the sauce. After frying up the bacon and setting it aside to drain on a plate with a paper towel, reserve 3 teaspoons of the grease in the same pan. Ad a few drops of lemon juice and some minced garlic, and cook until fragrant. Then, mix in salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes (if you want a bit of a kick). The key ingredient in this sauce? Sour cream!
Once the sour cream is all mixed in, go ahead and stir in tomatoes and spinach. The spinach will seem like way too much, but as it cooks, it will lose water and cook down into a more manageable amount. All that’s left to do is toss in cooked pasta and fold in the bacon! Top with parmesan cheese and dig in.
This is such an easy weeknight dinner that all comes together in the same pan. What’s not to love about that? If you’re looking for a quick, easy meal that the whole family will love, then this is the recipe for you!
30-Minute BLT Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mini farfalle pasta
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- pinch cracked red pepper flakes
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels.
- Drain all but 3 teaspoons of grease from the pan, then return to the stove on low heat. Add garlic and lemon juice, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Mix in sour cream, salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes. Add in tomatoes and spinach and mix until spinach wilts and tomatoes just start to soften.
- Toss in the cooked pasta until evenly coated and then fold in the cooked bacon. If the pasta is on the dry side, add some of the reserved pasta water. Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Belly Full.
