I spy with my little eye…bacon…asparagus…pasta…Parmesan…
…and?
(Triple gold star if you can guess the secret ingredient!)
White wine.
Mmmmm.
(Did you guess it?) Actually, if you’re not a fan of cooking with wine, you can easily sub in some chicken broth and maybe a hint of lemon juice.
But this recipe was 100% inspired by leftovers in my kitchen on the Sunday afternoon that I whipped it up. And after having had friends over the night before, half a bottle of white wine was corked and calling my name. So, as I like to do, I added half of it to the pasta, and poured the rest into a small glass to drink while I cooked. Perfection.
Seriously, though, the wine ended up being the perfect ingredient to pull this simple pasta together. Let me explain…
Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil, and cook your pasta (I went with linguine) according to package instructions until it’s al dente.
Meanwhile, add your diced bacon to a saute pan. Cook it up in a pan until it’s nice and crispy. Then remove it with a slotted spoon, and leave the leftover (about 1 Tbsp.) grease in the pan.
(For timing’s sake, I would add your pasta to the boiling water at this point after your bacon is cooked.)
Add your fresh asparagus, and saute it in the bacon grease until it’s nice and cooked and still has a bit of a “bite”. (Try to avoid overcooking it!)
Then add the white wine, and give the bottom of the pan a good stir to scrape those brown bits off the bottom. It might not be the prettiest, but trust me, this step is so worth it and the pasta’s loveliness will recover. ;)
Let the white wine boil down for a few minutes until it is reduced by about half.
Then once the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the pan, along with the cooked bacon and asparagus and half of the Parmesan. Give it a good toss.
Then sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.
And then dive in! Because I guarantee you that this pasta will disappear quickly. ;)
5-Ingredient Bacon Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) uncooked pasta (I used linguine)
- 1/2 lb. (about 8 strips) uncooked bacon, diced
- 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) fresh aspagarus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can double this if you’d like)
- 1/2 cup grated or flaked Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously-salted water al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, add bacon to a medium saute pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add asparagus to the pan and saute in the bacon grease for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the bacon. Slowly add the white wine to the pan, and scape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to deglaze the pan and pick up all of those yummy brown bits. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by about half.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it. Then add the pasta, asparagus, bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the saute pan, and toss until combined. Sprinkle pasta with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
- *If the pasta seems too dry, add in 1/4 cup of the pasta water after adding in the asparagus and bacon and toss to combine.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I was cruising through the “Today” show’s website and found your picture of this recipe on it!! Congrats.
https://www.today.com/food/put-down-casserole-give-your-next-potluck-fun-theme-2D79628771
For inquiring minds, turkey bacon CAN NOT be substituted. By accident of course, because there really is no substitute for real bacon. Had quite the domino effect… No grease to cook in, no yummy brown bits, had to add extra broth and lemon juice and equaled a pretty dry dish. :( Will definitely try this again the right way. Flavor was almost there, just a bit dry.
Very good… I added a clove of garlic to the asparagus.
IS it possible to give the Nutrients with the recipe, Fat, Carbs, Fiber and Protein. It would be good to know how much of a serving we can have along with the Nutrients.
We do not drink in my house, so we do not have any wine. Any suggestions for substitutes? I don’t think I would even know what white wine would be good. lol. Thank You
Hi Paula,
You are welcome to substitute chicken or veggie stock for wine.
~Ali
Made this for dinner and it was great! I added a clove of garlic during the last minute of the asparagus & drizzled a bit of olive oil in the end.. lovely!
The flavor of bacon – I get it! But what can we substitute for the bacon grease? Recipe looks and sounds so good, but need a healthier alternative. #Vegan #Sustainablelifestyle
You can substitute any oil for bacon grease. And if you’re vegan, this recipe would also be great with diced Field Roast (and nooch in place of cheese). Good luck!
It has been a long time for me using Pampered Chef. Every thing looks good will be trying them out.
Made this to take to Easter party. So good! I added grape tomatoes for the color.
Sounds delicious and easy! Any ideas of what to pair this dish with?
I recommend pairing it with a green salad and/or some fresh fruit. :)
~Ali