This recipe came to me after an incredibly late night at work when I was pretty hungry, but wasn’t in the mood for the only fast food joint open: Ol’ Taco Bell. What I really wanted was pasta. I wanted a heavy, comfy, full on carb overload.
I also love this recipe because it’s literally five ingredients. Five cheap ingredients. We’re not counting salt and pepper because I hope everyone has these in their kitchen…
I knew that combining melted butter and crushed garlic would result in a mellow but pungent sauce. Garlic salt won’t do this combo justice. If you want to make this recipe right, fresh garlic is key.
What I didn’t know is that the addition of bacon would add yet another level of flavor and texture I hadn’t even thought about. It’s not that I don’t like bacon, it’s just not a staple in my apartment. And on the night I created this recipe, I just so happened to have bacon. You definitely don’t have to have it, but it adds a crunchy texture and salty tang that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Since the butter is the only “sauce” for the pasta, you’ll need quite a bit of it, if you don’t use any of the bacon grease left over from the pan. I always pour the grease into a coffee cup because I use it when I cook green beans. I’m in the South and we use bacon grease in everything. For this recipe, keep just a little bit of grease in the pan. A thin layer will do. AND ALL THOSE BROWN BITS FROM THE BACON, GIRL. You need em.
You can use any kind of pasta you like. I normally use spaghetti or thin spaghetti. I also tend to like my pasta a bit on the undone side, so I take the pasta out a minute or two before the box says.
The takeaway from this is that you don’t have to have a ton of ingredients to create a delicious and relatively quick recipe. Make this dish and you’ll know what I mean.
5 Ingredient Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 slices bacon
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 8-10 ounces pasta
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- In a medium or large saucepan, cook slices of bacon until desired crispiness. Drain bacon on paper towels. Pour most of the grease out of the pan, saving a thin layer for sauce.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on box.
- In the bacon pan, add butter and melt over medium to medium high heat. Crush garlic and add to melted butter and bacon grease. Add crushed pepper flakes.
- While the pasta and sauce are cooking, chop bacon into medium size chunks.
- When garlic has browned, take it out of the pan. Add crushed pepper flakes and flash fry for just a few seconds. Add cooked pasta and chopped bacon to pan.
- Serve immediately.
Ladle Full of Comfort 
This is an amazing and simple recipe to try. Sometimes I look at recipes and think there’s too many components or steps, but this one was great for a lazy night. I didn’t have any red pepper flakes, so I had to make due with some ground black pepper but it was still absolutely delicious! The bacon was really a great addition for added flavor and crunch. I also left a little bit more of the bacon grease in the pan with the butter and garlic. Definitely, recommend this recipe! It’s so quick, easy, and delicious!
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Thanks so much!! I bet it was just as yummy with the black pepper 🙂
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