Easy Bacon Pasta Bake

This easy bacon pasta bake is so simple to make and only has a few ingredients. The perfect mid-week meal.

One of my favourite things to create is pasta recipes and it's even better when you can add cheese on top and turn it into a pasta bake. This easy Bacon Pasta Bake will become one of your family favourites. Made from penne pasta, bacon, garlic, crushed tomatoes, cream, baby spinach and cheese, these delicious flavours will be enjoyed by the whole family. For another amazing pasta bake, be sure to try my Slow Cooker Pesto Pasta Bake.

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Ingredient notes:
Step by step instructions:
Recipe FAQs:
Storage:
Top tips:
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Easy bacon pasta bake

Ingredient notes:

Pasta: Use any type of short cut pasta to make this bake. Spirals, bow ties, macaroni etc will all work.
Bacon: I actually used a combination of bacon and shaved ham in this meal as I didn't have quite enough bacon!
Cooking Cream: I love the taste and texture of cooking cream. However, feel free to use sour cream, cream cheese of regular pouring cream instead if you prefer.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.

Step by step instructions:

Preheat oven to 200ºC fan bake. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Fry bacon in a large frypan until cooked through, add garlic and stir together. Pour in canned tomatoes and stir, add the cream and stir again until it has all melted together.

Bird's eye view of a pot of pasta and a frying pan of tomato sauce on a stove top.

A large pasta pot filled with bacon and tomato pasta.

Add the baby spinach to the sauce then season to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the sauce with cooked pasta and pour into a baking dish. Spread grated cheese over the top.

A Bacon and pasta bake in a glass pyrex dish on a grey bench.

A Bacon and pasta bake with cheese on top in a glass pyrex dish on a grey bench.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve immediately.

A close up of a bacon pasta bake with a scoop taken out of the corner.

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Recipe FAQs:

Do I need to use cooking cream?

If you don't have cooking cream then you can use cream cheese, sour cream or even standard cream. It will still give a similar flavour, I just really like the texture of this cooking cream.

Is this pasta bake nice as leftovers?

It is the perfect recipe for meal prep to take along for lunches. My husband loves these types of meals to take along for smoko when he's building.

Storage:

Store any leftover pasta bake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot.

This pasta bake is great to put in the freezer for later! Just make the recipe up until step 7. After adding the cheese to the top let it cool then cover in cling film and freeze.

Top tips:

This pasta bake is great to put in the freezer if you want to keep it for later just make up the whole recipe up until scattering over the grated cheese and then instead of putting it in the oven cover it in clingfilm and freeze. If you're looking for tips, tricks and ideas on more freezer food, click through to my Freezer Meals Made Easy course page.

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Easy bacon pasta bake

Yield: 4-6 serves

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This pasta bake is super simple to make and filled with bacon and spinach.

Ingredients

500g penne pasta
250g bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
250ml Philadelphia cooking cream
½ bag baby spinach
1 cup grated cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200ºC fanbake.
Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
Fry bacon in a large frypan until cooked through, add garlic and stir together.
Pour in canned tomatoes and stir, add the cream and stir again until it has all melted together.
Add the baby spinach to the sauce then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine the sauce with cooked pasta and pour into a baking dish.
Spread grated cheese over the top.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Serve immediately.

Notes

This pasta bake is great to put in the freezer for later! Just make the recipe up until step 7. After adding the cheese to the top let it cool then cover in cling film and freeze.
This recipe is also great meal prep for lunches, just heat for 1-2 minutes until piping hot in the microwave at work.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 465Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 877mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 25g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya