Garlic and Bacon Spaghetti

Serves: 2
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This was the first recipe from my Gorgeous Gorgeous Garlic series and it is so deliciously simple, because sometimes really tasty food only requires a few good ingredients. I loved making this series because it really reinvigorated my love for garlic and reminded me how it can truly transform a dish. Minimal effort, maximum flavour. Exactly what you need and want for a midweek dinner.

I strongly advise bookmarking this garlic and bacon spaghetti dish for the next time you need some garlic goodness. So, refresh your go-to dinners by adding this one to the mix. A great recipe for when you want to impress but you’re limited for time and who can turn down spaghetti? It’s always a winner. Plus you only need a glug of wine for this dish, so you can drink the rest hehe.

If you’re a fan of my garlic and bacon spaghetti but want to up the veggie count, why not give my butternut squash and chorizo pasta or fennel sausage pasta with confit leek a go and add another couple of main meals to your repertoire.

Ingredients

metric imperial
  • 1-2 bulbs of garlic
  • 1-2 bulbs of garlic
  • 5-7 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
  • 5-7 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
  • A knob of butter
  • A knob of butter
  • About 2oz grated Parmesan, measure from the heart on this one as I won't judge if you want more
  • About 50g grated Parmesan, measure from the heart on this one as I won't judge if you want more
  • 2 portions of linguine
  • 2 portions of linguine
  • A large glug of white wine
  • A large glug of white wine
  • Plenty of salt and pepper
  • Plenty of salt and pepper
  • Splash of olive oil
  • Splash of olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Cut the tops of the garlic bulbs off and place them in some foil with a pinch of salt and glug of oil.
  3. Wrap well and oven roast for around 45ish minutes. You want your garlic cloves to be really soft so you can easily combine it with the pasta sauce.
  4. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and season heavily with salt, then add the pasta. I like to use linguine for this dish. Make sure you keep the pasta water once cooked as you will use this later on.
  5. Whilst that’s boiling away, in another pan add the chopped streaky bacon and cook until golden.
  6. Add the white wine and let it sizzle and reduce before adding a bulb of the roasted garlic. Smush this altogether. The aroma should be amazing at this point.
  7. Add the butter and Parmesan to the pan and season with pepper. Add/reduce the amount of Parmesan as you see fit.
  8. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce with at least a ladle of pasta water (you might use more depending on the portion size). Add more pasta water if needed.
  9. Mix well and ensure your pasta is thoroughly drenched in sauce. Serve and enjoy!