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.
Reduce heat to low. Add diced tomatoes and fresh basil (if using). Stir and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
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.
Add the diced avocado. Stir gently to combine.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the pasta mixture, and fold to combine.
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
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.
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!
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.
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
Enjoy your Bacon Avocado Pasta with a fresh and fruity Strawberry Pineapple Martini.
Print the Recipe
PrintQuick 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.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 strips of bacon
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves OR 1 Tbsp chopped, fresh basil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 teaspoon of lime juice
- 8 ounces dry pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
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 minced garlic, dried basil (if using), and lime juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add diced tomatoes. Stir and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
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.
Add the diced avocado. Stir gently to combine.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (if using) over the pasta mixture, and fold to combine.
If the pasta mixture becomes too thick, add ¼ cup pasta water, stirring to combine.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Notes
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 478
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 533.4 mg
- Fat: 22.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
- Protein: 19.7 g
- Cholesterol: 32.9 mg
Meadow says
What's not to like about bacon and avocado? It's a classic! Delicious through and through with all the tastes of summer.
Katy McAvoy says
Agreed! We love this recipe!
Jen says
I made mine with gluten free pasta and it was delicious!
Katy McAvoy says
So glad you liked it! This avocado pasta is one of our family favorites.
Anne says
This was delicious! We happened to have leftover bacon and just added some saved bacon grease to it to simulate cooking fresh to get that great flavor. Will happily make this again.
Katy McAvoy says
So glad you liked it, Anne!!