Quick and Easy Bacon Avocado Pasta

Bacon avocado pasta is a favorite in our house. We love the creamy avocado, the fresh tomatoes, and the crispy bacon. Tossed with Parmesan cheese and hot pasta, it makes its own delicious sauce for a light and easy dinner.

I’ve been making this dish for years. It’s a go-to for me on any weeknight when I don’t know what else to make and we need something quick and easy. It is also a great way to eat avocados without constantly making guacamole or slicing them on your toast!

This is NOT a cold pasta salad, it’s a yummy, comforting, hot pasta dish. If you’ve only ever eaten your avocado cold, this is the perfect recipe to try out something new!

What You Need

Bacon
Tomatoes
Avocado
Basil - fresh or dried
Lime juice
Garlic
Parmesan cheese
Pasta + pasta water

How to Make Bacon Avocado Pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, chop bacon into small pieces.

Cook bacon in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp.

Leave the bacon fat in the pan.

Add the garlic, dried basil (if using), and lime juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Cooked bacon, garlic and lime juice in a skillet

Reduce heat to low. Add diced tomatoes and fresh basil (if using). Stir and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Diced tomatoes mixed with bacon, garlic, and lime juice in a pan

Using a large slotted spoon or cooking spider, scoop the cooked pasta directly from its pot into the skillet with the bacon and tomato mixture.

Pasta being scooped into a skillet for bacon avocado pasta.

Add the diced avocado. Stir gently to combine.

Avocado added to a skillet of pasta, bacon, tomatoes, garlic and lime juice.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the pasta mixture, and fold to combine.

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of a pan full of bacon avocado pasta.

If the pasta mixture becomes too thick, add ¼ cup pasta water, stirring to combine.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

NOTE: Because of the avocado in this dish, it does NOT keep well in the refrigerator. Do your best to eat it all up right after you cook it.

Tips on Bacon Avocado Pasta

Don’t drain the bacon fat!

It’s really tempting to grab a paper towel and soak up a little bit of the bacon fat after you’ve cooked it, but leave it in the pan! There is no added oil in this recipe and the bacon fat is needed for cooking the garlic, softening the dried basil and imparting some delicious flavor. If you took out the bacon fat, you’d have to add an oil back to the pan, so we’re saving a step by cooking with the super flavorful grease that’s already there.

Can I use more than 4 pieces of bacon?

I use four strips of bacon, because I find it gives the recipe great flavor and texture without making it greasy or overpowering the other flavors. If you love bacon and want to increase the amount, go for it!

What kind of Parmesan cheese should I use?

Skip the green can, and use freshly grated Parmesan cheese in this recipe. It’s the main ingredient in the sauce and brings a lot of flavor to the dish so go for the Parmesan cheese in the deli section of your grocery store.

Why do you use the pasta water?

What pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water. This gives the pasta water a little flavor (that matches the flavor of the noodles!), making it a great choice if you need to add a bit of liquid to thin the sauce, but don’t want to change the flavor of your dish.

Cocktail Pairing

Pouring a Strawberry Pineapple Vanilla Vodka Martini

Enjoy your Bacon Avocado Pasta with a fresh and fruity Strawberry Pineapple Martini.

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