This creamy spinach & bacon pasta dish comes together in no time, which makes it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Fusilli pasta is a wonderful companion for the creamy sauce which clings to all its spirally crevices. This recipe uses some of the starchy pasta water as a quick trick for thickening the sauce and making it extra clingy (without flour).
The sauce gets an extra flavor boost from the bacon grease that is used to soften the onion and garlic. A generous amount of parmesan and freshly chopped parsley round out the dish.
15-minute creamy spinach & bacon fusilli
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients1 pound fusilli pasta
4 ounces (4-6 slices) bacon
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Directions1. Cook the fusilli pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente (9-12 minutes but read package directions).
2. Before draining the cooked Fusilli, reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce.
3. In a large pan, cook the bacon slices until crispy. Transfer onto paper towel. Once cooled, crumble into small pieces.
4. Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon grease until translucent. Add the chopped spinach and cook until just wilted.
5. Whisk in the heavy cream and pasta water. Stir in grated parmesan and season sauce with salt and pepper. Add crumbled bacon into the pan.
6. Simmer sauce until it starts to thicken. Add cooked fusilli pasta and stir to combine. Cook 1-2 more minutes.
7. Sprinkle the creamy Fusilli with chopped parsley and extra parmesan for serving.
Tip: Keep some pasta water aside. In case the sauce becomes too thick, you can use the pasta water to thin it out again. This tip also works great for reheating leftovers.
