Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom! It is in all aspects, an honest-to-goodness decadent and ultra-luxurious pasta dish. What's in the sauce? Crispy bacon, mushroom, and toasted garlic—smothered in a rich and creamy sauce.
Creamy Garlic Pasta Ingredients
Here's what you'll need.
- Cream and milk - the base of the sauce. you can also use half and half.
- Garlic - lots of it. I use ½ cup. Adjust based on preference.
- Bacon - use streaky bacon for a richer sauce or back bacon if you prefer just to have the smoky flavor and lesser fat.
- Butter - find the best kind you can find.
- Parmesan cheese - use fresh. Don't use the jarred or pre-shredded type.
Didn't I say decadent and ultra-luxurious? 🙂
How to make crispy bacon
Before anything else, make the crispy bacon. You will need its fat to make the sauce flavorful.
Start by putting the bacon strips in a cold pan. Turn on the heat and cook it slowly until it turns brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan then transfer one tablespoon grease to another pan where you are going to cook the pasta. I wanted a white and less bacony sauce, hence a separate pan.
If you prefer to keep all that bacon flavor, use the drippings with gusto! The sauce will turn light brown in color and really rich with flavor.
Enjoy. Indulge. Celebrate.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta Sauce
To make the cream slightly thicker, make a roux. Add equal parts of butter and flour to the browned garlic. Then finally to balance all that richness, add mushrooms. I used brown button mushrooms; other subtly-flavored mushrooms are good alternatives. It is the light earthy flavor we are after.
Note that slices of broccoli were also added for some pop of color (and probably and to lessen the guilt just a bit, haha). Just add your choice of vegetables.
How to make a garlicky creamy sauce
- Cook the garlic in the bacon oil (fat), keep stirring until just brown.
- Watch it carefully to avoid over-toasting; burned garlic can make the sauce bitter.
- Scoop out more than half of the browned garlic and add it again once the cream and milk are simmering.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you infused the garlic flavor into the sauce. Hmm...Can you smell it already?
Easy dinner recipes for your weekly menu:
- Soy Chicken Stew with Mushrooms
- Mushroom Pasta with Canned Soup
- Easy Oven Roasted Chicken
- Pasta with Cream Cheese Sauce
- Chicken Sandwich BBQ flavor
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
- Quick and Easy Beef Stir-fry
- Chunky Mushroom and Celery Soup
- Sardines Pasta
Watch the video on how to make Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom
Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom
Ingredients
- 10 oz bacon (chopped)
- ½ cup garlic (minced, use less if preferred)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 9 oz mushrooms
- broccoli (chopped, optional)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped, divided)
- 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese (divided)
- ½ cup pasta water or chicken broth (add more if needed)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- sprinkle of Italian seasoning (optional)
- 14 oz pasta (cooked al dente)
Instructions
- Place chopped bacon in a cold skillet. Turn on heat then set to medium. Cook and stir until the bacon is crisp about 5 minutes. Set aside the bacon and reserve the drippings and bacon fat.
- In another pan over medium heat, pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add garlic. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes until brown. Scoop out about ¾ of the garlic and set aside.
- Add butter, stir until melted. Add the flour, whisk for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, broccoli, milk, cream, pasta water, or broth. and Italian seasoning. Stir, then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are almost cooked.
- Add back half of the bacon and half of the browned garlic.
- Stir in parsley, and half cup parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another minute then turn off the heat.
- Add pasta and toss gently in the sauce. If it becomes too thick, add about ¼ cup (or more) of pasta water.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with remaining, bacon, garlic, parsley, and cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- Watch the garlic carefully to avoid over-toasting; burned garlic can make the sauce bitter.
- Adjust the amount of bacon fat according to your preference.
- Vegetables: Brocolli can be entirely omitted. But if you also want a pop of color, green peas and spinach are good substitutes.
- Cream can also be substituted with half and half.
- Using chicken broth instead of pasta water gives an extra boost of flavor.
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Sarah says
This recipe is great! I used broccoli and edamame! Will definitely make again.
Mella says
Edamame is a good idea! Glad you liked this recipe.
Ashli Ferguson says
This looks sooooo good! I'd only take our the Mushrooms haha