Name: Bacon Pasta With Cheese Sauce and Thyme
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces bacon end strips, or regular bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces (1 ¼ cups); 1 small onion, chopped (1 ½ cups); 4 large cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons); 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus whole leaves for serving; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 pound spaghetti; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour; 0.5 cup whole milk; 8 ounces mixed grated melting cheeses, such as Gruyere, Monterey Jack, and fontina

Prep Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Servings:

4

This bacon pasta recipe is an easier, cheesier take on Pasta Carbonara. Rather than a sauce made with eggs and cheese, our pasta has a basic béchamel sauce with cheese (also known as a Mornay sauce), which coats every strand of spaghetti deliciously. And the sauce has a secret ingredient: pasta water—the starchy liquid works as a binder and a thickener.

Bacon Pasta with Cheese Sauce — Linda Pugliese

Key Ingredients

Three ingredients play an outsize role in this pasta dish.

Pasta

This dish is inspired by spaghetti carbonara and works best with spaghetti or a similar long thin noodle, such as linguine.

Cheese

Many pasta dishes use Parmesan, which is a hard, aged cow's milk cheese prized for its sharp, nutty flavor, often adding the Parmesan right before serving. For this bacon pasta recipe, we wanted cheese that would melt well in the sauce, and so we recommend Gruyère, fontina, or Monterey Jack; preferably a mix of two or more of these cheeses as each brings something different to the dish.

Bacon

Our bacon pasta recipe calls for bacon end strips, also known as bacon ends, an ingredient you might not be familiar with. As their name suggests, these are pieces cut off the end of slab bacon when it is sliced for regular bacon. Bacon ends are different shapes and sizes, not so good for a BLT, but great for cooking and crisping up for all kinds of dishes where small pieces, not rashers of bacon, are required. The pasta is also delicious when made with regular bacon.

Other Ingredients to Add

We think this bacon pasta is perfect as is. If you want to add a little something else, try these ideas:

More protein: Top each portion with a fried egg.
More vegetables: Fold a couple of handfuls of baby spinach into the sauce after adding the cheese.
More dairy: Mix in 2 or 3 tablespoons of heavy cream before adding the cheese, for a richer, more saucy pasta.

Ingredients

8 ounces bacon end strips, or regular bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces (1 ¼ cups)
1 small onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)
4 large cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus whole leaves for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole milk
8 ounces mixed grated melting cheeses, such as Gruyère, Monterey Jack, and fontina

Directions

Cook bacon, onion, and garlic:

Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped thyme. Remove from heat.
Cook pasta:

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, about 2 minutes less than according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta water.
Melt butter, whisk in flour:

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour; cook until melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
Slowly add milk, some pasta water and cook:

Slowly whisk in milk and 1/2 cup pasta water until smooth. Bring to a boil.
Whisk in cheeses:

Remove from heat, and whisk in cheeses.
Add pasta water to skillet and cook:

Return skillet to medium-high heat; add 1/2 cup pasta water and cook, scraping up browned bits, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add spaghetti and cheese sauce, season and serve:

Add cooked spaghetti and cheese sauce. Stir, adding remaining pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce is creamy and evenly coats pasta. Taste and season as needed. Serve, sprinkled with pepper and thyme leaves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you salt the water for pasta?

Salting the water is the foundation of any pasta dish. Without salt in the cooking water, pasta tastes bland, so generously salting the pasta water is a vital step in making good pasta.

Should you rinse pasta after cooking?

No, we do not call for rinsing pasta. Rinsing cooked pasta removes the starchy film on the noodles that helps the sauce cling to the pasta.

What is Italian carbonara sauce made of?

Carbonara is made with guanciale or pancetta, two types of Italian cured pork that are similar to bacon. Americanized versions of the dish often call for bacon. In addition to the meat, the sauce is made with egg yolks, cream, and Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.