Creamy “BLT” Pasta is a twist on a traditional BLT. Made with bacon, roasted tomatoes, and spinach, this will have you craving a BLT every single night.
As if BLT’s could get better, well scratch that they can. In a creamy, cheesy pasta dish.
What I love about this pasta dish is the medley of flavors. And the bacon, roasted tomatoes and spinach all shine through. The creamy sauce is made purely from the combination of mascarpone and parmesan cheese. This dish is simple to make and ready in less than 30 minutes. Boil the noodles, make the sauce and viola dinner is served. Don’t worry if you don’t have any roasted tomatoes at your local grocery store, they are easy to make and take only 8 minutes to bake. And if you aren’t a huge roasted tomatoes fan, then just use fresh. Still so good.
This recipe was inspired by my sister Nicole who swears that my Creamy Sausage & Corn Penne Pasta dish is her favorite. While I love it too, one because of its easiness and the fact that it is also very versatile. So I thought let’s change it up a bit and add some different flavors to this creamy delicious sauce and this Creamy “BLT” Pasta did not disappoint. But I pretty much love BLT anything. Some of my favorite twists on BLT include: Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe and BLT Macaroni Salad Recipe.
I love dinners like this Creamy “BLT” Pasta. Easy, ready in less than 30 minutes and the whole family loves it. Cheers to bacon, bacon and well, more bacon with a pinch (of cup full) of cheese. Enjoy! XOXO San
How do you make Creamy “BLT” Pasta?
Prepare roasted tomatoes.
Toss all of the roasted tomatoes ingredients in a mixing bowl: olive oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder and tomatoes, toss to combine. Set tomatoes on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven of 425 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on pan.
Prepare pasta.
Boil a large pot of salted water of medium-high heat. Add penne and cook according to the package directions. Once noodles are al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the remaining water from the noodles and rinse noodles with cold water so that they don’t stick together.
Prepare sauce while pasta is cooking.
To make sauce heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Chop up the uncooked bacon and add to the skillet, cook until done. Once the bacon is thoroughly cooked, drain and place in a bowl, set aside.
Place skillet back on the heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil add onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add roasted tomatoes and spinach. Remove from heat. Add in mascarpone, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup reserved pasta water and chile paste, if desired. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in bacon and pasta. I add ½ of the pasta and toss to coat.
At this point you can add the remaining pasta or add as much as you would like. If you want a creamier pasta, only add about ½ – ¾ lb. of pasta. We love about ¾ lb. and keep the remaining ¼ lb. of cooked pasta for my son, who hates tomatoes.
Stir in remaining fresh tomatoes. And serve topped with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.
Be sure to try my other favorite creamy pasta dishes like this Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake and One Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta.
Don’t forget to add this Creamy “BLT” Pasta to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later.
Creamy “BLT” Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon Sambal chile paste optional
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese dived
Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half I use 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- sprinkle with garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare roasted tomatoes.
- Toss all of the roasted tomatoes ingredients in a mixing bowl: olive oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder and tomatoes, toss to combine. Set tomatoes on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven of 425 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on pan.
- Prepare pasta.
- Boil a large pot of salted water of medium-high heat. Add penne and cook according to the package directions. Once noodles are al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the remaining water from the noodles and rinse noodles with cold water so that they don't stick together.
- Prepare sauce while pasta is cooking.
- To make sauce heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Chop up the uncooked bacon and add to the skillet, cook until done. Once the bacon is thoroughly cooked, drain and place in a bowl, set aside.
- Place skillet back on the heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil add onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add roasted tomatoes and spinach. Remove from heat. Add in mascarpone, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup reserved pasta water and chile paste, if desired. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in bacon and pasta. I add 1/2 of the pasta and toss to coat.
- At this point you can add the remaining pasta or add as much as you would like. If you want a creamier pasta, only add about 1/2 - 3/4 lb. of pasta. We love about 3/4 lb. and keep the remaining 1/4 lb. of cooked pasta for my son, who hates tomatoes.
- Stir in remaining fresh tomatoes. Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
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Great tasty meal however the directions are horrible and unclear so be prepared to say “HUH??”
All of my favorite things together!
Oh wow this looks fabulous!! I’m always looking for new takes on classics, and this sounds perfect. My husband would just love it! Thanks!!!