It's winter. It's cold. I've had a stressful week. What am I craving? A warm plate of smooth and creamy pasta with turkey bacon, obviously!
I have been so stressed this entire week with planning a retirement party for our office manager. Initially, I offered to help and somehow I found myself in charge of a large bulk of the event. Why is there always miscommunication and misunderstandings in these types of situations? The person whom I thought was taking on the decorating job was in fact not. And when did I find out? Wednesday at 4 pm. Yup, the afternoon before the party. So, a colleague and I scrambled around the morning of to set up and decorate at literally the very last minute. The whole process kind of reminded me of wedding planning. It was the type of stress that I was glad to never have to experience again! But, in the end everything came together and it was all worth it. It was so great to be able to show our manager how much we have appreciated her and to see her enjoy her special day. I am not going to lie, though, thank goodness that it's over! And thank you for listening to my rant! 🙂
Now let me sit down and enjoy my plate of pasta, please!
Mmm, mmmm, mmmm! This delicious, warm, smooth and creamy pasta is loaded with cheese and turkey bacon to yield the ultimate comfort food. I think I deserve it! This pasta kind of tastes a little bit like a carbonara pasta but without the egg. Not too bad, my friend, not too bad. I initially had fettuccine alfredo in mind, but didn't have fettuccine pasta. I had a box of rotini pasta instead. Exploring my fridge for anything else that I could add, I noticed my turkey bacon was expiring in a couple of days. So, *light bulb moment* I decided to throw that in there. Best decision ever.
Tip: This pasta heats very well the next day and is one of those foods that the leftovers give the fresh stuff some major competition. So if you don't finish it all in one go, pack it up for lunch tomorrow.
Bon appétit!
Recipe
Creamy Pasta with Turkey Bacon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
Description
This delicious, smooth and creamy pasta is loaded with cheese and turkey bacon to yield the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pasta
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 and ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 4 strips of turkey bacon, cut in small slices
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- ¾ cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons asiago cheese, grated (reserve some for garnish)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. When boiling the pasta, add salt and 1 tbsp. olive oil to the water.
- Heat ½ tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook for about 4-5 minutes until they start to get crispy.
- Add the butter and cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and whisk in the parmesan cheese and asiago cheese, until melted.
- Once pasta is cooked and drained, put it back in the pot and heat on low.
- Pour in the sauce and mix thoroughly until pasta is evenly coated.
- Serve and sprinkle some asiago cheese on top.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Italian
Noel says
Pasta is definitely my go to stress relieving food too! After chocolate that is.
And you're right, it seems like there's always a dropped ball somewhere when you think things are going super smooth. I'm so glad it worked out and your manager had a great day!
ps - remember, nobody knows "what might have been" - they only know what was done - and they have a nice day!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks! It was such a relief when everything came together in the end 🙂
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
So easy and satisfying! Pasta is such a great and versatile quick dinner.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
I agree!
Whitney says
I've never thought to put something like turkey bacon in pasta. Great idea, especially for a rich and creamy sauce base!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yes, it tastes so good in there!
Travel Pockets (Crystal) says
Thank you for this recipe! I love bacon and pasta, but I can go with turkey bacon sometimes. Didn't even think of that.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yes, try it out!! 😀
Yum Girl says
Welcome to Yum Goggle! We are following you on all your social media and hope you will follow us back. We will try our best to tag you each time we promote your posts. Kelli at YG
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Kelli! I am going to follow you back right now 🙂
Shadi says
Always great to see another Persian blogger! Loved this recipe and everything looks so delicious!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Shadi! 🙂