Spaghetti with Bacon and Spinach

This pasta dish delivers forkfuls of al dente spaghetti coated in a luscious combination of buttery spinach, crispy bacon, and parmesan cheese.

If you’re like me, you often find yourself thinking about, and craving, pasta (that’s not just me, right?). Rich, perfectly textured pasta coated in whatever delicious sauce happens to catch your fancy at the moment. But alas, such pasta takes time, effort, and very specific ingredients to make.

You know the old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and marinara takes all night.”

While I don’t have the answer for building a New Rome inside of an afternoon, I do have a quick and easy pasta recipe that assuredly does ‘not’ take all night.

Today, we’re preparing Spaghetti with Spinach and Bacon. Bursting with Italian-inspired flavors, this dish combines the rich, smoky taste of crispy bacon with the earthy and warming notes of spinach sautéed in oil, butter, and garlic, tossed with perfectly cooked spaghetti.

Spaghetti with Bacon and SpinachPhoto byLiving the Gourmet

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of bacon
• 16 oz. of fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, toasted
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan or romano cheese, grated
• 2-3 tbs. of butter
• 2-3 tbs. of olive oil
• 4 slices of fresh lemon with skin
• 1 tsp. coarse black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. of your favorite spaghetti

Instructions:

1. Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Place in the oven and cook until the bacon is nice and crispy. This should take about 20 - 25 minutes.
4. Place the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels and let cool; then crumble.
5. Heat a small cast iron frying pan and place a pat of butter in the pan. Place the bread crumbs in the pan and toss until the bread crumbs get nice and toasty.
6. Set the bread crumbs aside.
7. Prepare the spaghetti as instructed.
8. Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the butter and olive oil.
9. Add the lemon slices to the pan and allow to get slightly golden.
10. Add the grated garlic to the pan with the lemon
11. Place the spinach in the pan and toss until it is wilted.
12. Lift the cooked spaghetti into the pan and toss.
13. Add the toasted bread crumbs, crumbled bacon, grated parmesan, and the seasonings and toss.

**If you enjoyed today's recipe, visit Living the Gourmet for more easy and delicious meals your family will love!