Pasta with asparagus and bacon in a brown butter sauce. Jazzed up with lots of flavor from salted bacon, black pepper and Parmesan. A straightforward, hearty dinner ideal for busy weeknights but luxurious enough for a date night. A comforting combination that comes together in about 20 minutes. A truly groovy dish.
This is how we do it. First, we brown the bacon, add asparagus, garlic and pepper. Then we make the brown butter sauce and toss everything together with pasta. Combine with Parmesan and some cooking water to turn it into glossy perfection. The result is amazing, each bite is slicked with a rich and buttery sauce forcing your taste buds to try to keep up.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
RECIPE NOTES
- you can use pancetta instead of salted bacon, or leave it out for a vegetarian version
- swap almonds for walnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts or sunflower seeds
- as for the pasta, if you can’t find shells, use orecchiette or any of your favorite shaped pasta that can trap and hold the sauce when it travels from plate to mouth
More pasta, please!
Cooking Video
Brown Butter Asparagus Pasta with Bacon
Ingredients
- 200 g/7 oz shaped pasta, like shells or orecchiette
- 150 g/5 oz green asparagus
- 200 g/7 oz salted bacon bits
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 45 g (3 tbsp) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp each: crushed chili flakes, salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 30 g/1 oz grated parmesan, more for serving
- crushed chili flakes and black pepper, for serving
- 2 tbsp chopped almonds, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Snap off any woody exterior from the bottom of the asparagus. Cut the bigger asparagus in half lengthways then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon, cook until crispy and golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, sauté, tossing frequently until crispy-tender, for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Stir the butter constantly to keep it moving. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle. Keep stirring, about 3-5 minutes, until the butter starts to turn golden brown. It will smell intensely buttery and nutty. Add bacon and asparagus back to the skillet, stir to combine. Toss with pasta and Parmesan, add 1/4 cup cooking water and stir until pasta is coated.
- Divide pasta among bowls and top with more Parmesan, ground pepper and chopped almonds. Enjoy!
Notes
Calories Per Serving: 687 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I got asparagus in my groceries by mistake and scrambled to find a new recipe. Only had smoked sausage on hand. Even so, this was divine. And as with most pasta, even better the following day. Thank you!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! I am glad you enjoyed it!
What would you recommend as a simple sauce to go with this?
The brown butter is the sauce, you’ll have plenty of it. Happy cooking!
Why the olive oil when bacon has so much grease already? And then you leave the grease in without draining it off? The dish looks delish and elegant for a simple summer dinner party, but I’m wondering about all that grease and then butter on top of that.
I use oil to cook bacon to prevent it from sticking to my pan, add flavor and get it super crispy. As for the butter, it’s a base for the brown butter sauce. We thin it out with cooking water to use less butter and create a smooth sauce that coats the pasta. Hope you love the recipe!
Hi,I’m a newbie. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Great! Enjoy the recipe!
I wasn’t expecting how really delicious this dish is! It’s a little heavy on spice for us, so I went for less red and black pepper, and it was absolutely perfect for us. This recipe is a keeper.
That’s so nice to hear, I am really happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try!
This was delicious!
That’s so nice to hear! Thank you for giving it a try!
The first time I made it for my family, my husband loved it (rarely will he say that). I’m trying it again, but forgot to pick up the asparagus. I’m going to replace with green beans or broccoli. I’ll tell you how it goes. 🙂
That’s so nice to hear! Broccoli or green beans, will work well here. Happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious! Made it with bacon, not bits. Really good!!!
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it!
Very, very delicious!
Thank you! I’m really glad the recipe was enjoyed!
Looks, sounds Devine. Hope to try for friends lunch. Will use walnuts.
Thanks! I hope you love the recipe!
I have cooked this recipe four times before, and have LOVED it each time—not to mention my family and guests!!
I am doubling the recipe this time—eaten the day after, it is DIVINE (I would never relegate this delicious dish to the “leftover” aisle!’!
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!