Have you every had a craving hit you like a ton of bricks and you knew you HAD to have it? That is how this recipe was born. I was craving something creamy and filling, warm and familiar but with a twist. I wanted Alfredo! But not your regular old alfredo, with chicken and white sauce and noodles. No. I wanted bacon….because, well, why not?! Plus, I can sell any recipe to my family if I mention the words ‘bacon’ or ‘pasta’, so I knew going into it that this was going to be a crowd pleaser.

Now, before I deemed it ‘blog worthy’, I had to test it out. First I made it for my crew…rave reviews. Then, we had not one but two weekend visits in a row with our families, so I put it to the test again. Both times I heard the same things: ”MMmmmm” and “Amanda I need this recipe!”. Now, if that’s not enough to convince you that this is a winner, we also made it for our Father’s Day dinner and it was STILL raved about, even though my family had eaten it 3 times already this month! I think that deems it ”blog worthy”.

Here’s what you need- bacon, pasta, onion, heavy cream, butter, parmesan, salt & pepper, garlic (not pictured because I was out after making it 4 times….), and parsley (if you want to garnish. As my 6 year old says, you do you booboo)

Start by cooking your bacon. We like it crispy, so I bake it at 400° until crisp. Set aside on paper towels to drain. Now is a great time to start your pasta as well, just cook it according to the package directions. In your skillet, melt your butter. Sauté your onions until translucent.

Add your garlic and give it a good stir. Once fragrant (be careful not to burn it!), pour in your cream. Continue to stir and allow to thicken a bit. This part will seem to take the longest, but just keep moving it around.

Once it is just starting to thicken up, add most of your parmesan. Be sure to save some for garnishing, if you’re into that sort of thing (I am). Continue to stir and move it around until it your sauce is thick and you can swipe your spatula down the center of the pan and it doesn’t come back together right away. My dad calls this ‘parting the Red Sea’, and I always think of that when I’m making sauces and gravies (See Dad, I was listening!)

Ok, so this is an absolutely horrible photo, but here’s the ‘Red Sea Effect’ we are going for.

This is when you want to add your salt, pepper, and bacon. Give it a good stir so it gets seasoned throughout. Add your cooked and drained pasta and toss. You want to coat each noodle with your sauce and bacon.

Serve warm with garlic bread and watch in amazement as your whole family cleans their plates. You will for sure be making this a regular in your dinner rotation!

I mean, come on…how can you say no to this beauty?

Bonus tip! An easy and fool proof way to make garlic bread. I buy the Italian loaves from Walmart (they’re only $1 and freeze beautifully). In a bowl, melt 1 stick of butter. Sprinkle in about 2 teaspoons garlic powder and parsley. Slice the bread horizontally, and spread the butter mixture all over both halves. Bake at 350° until golden. Bam…you’ve got garlic bread!