Bacon, Asparagus & Grape Tomato Cavatappi
with Basil & Parmesan
- Wheat
- Milk
This pasta dish has a quick trick we love: cooking asparagus and grape tomatoes in smoky bacon fat after sizzling bacon to crisp perfection. Toss those veggies with curly cavatappi in creamy basil sauce, then bring it all home with chopped bacon, shredded Parmesan, and a sprinkle of chili flakes for a savory meal that’s sure to satisfy.
Ingredients
1 unit
Basil Paste
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
6 ounce
Asparagus
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
4 ounce
Bacon
Not included in your delivery
¼ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon*; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. TIP: Add a drizzle of oil if your bacon is not crisping. • Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 TBSP bacon fat in a small bowl. Wipe out pan with paper towels. Once bacon is cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• Once water is boiling, add pasta to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, halve tomatoes. Trim and discard woody bottom ends from asparagus; cut stalks crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
• Heat reserved bacon fat and a drizzle of oil in pan used for bacon over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, asparagus, and a pinch of salt and pepper. • Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is bright green, 3-4 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese, basil paste, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water, 2 TBSP butter, and ¼ tsp sugar. (For 4 servings, use 1 cup pasta cooking water, 4 TBSP butter, and ½ tsp sugar.) • Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until butter has melted, 1-2 minutes. • Add drained cavatappi and toss until thoroughly coated. (TIP: Add extra splashes of reserved pasta cooking water for saucier pasta.) Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Divide pasta between bowls and top with bacon, Parmesan, and as many chili flakes as you like. Serve.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the combination of bacon, asparagus, and tomatoes; some found it bland and suggested adding garlic or lemon for more depth.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, though a few noted the prep time might be longer than expected.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more veggies, doubling the pesto, or including chicken for extra protein. Some preferred less basil or a creamier sauce.
- Leftovers: Reheats well in a skillet with a bit of chicken broth, though asparagus may not be as good the second day.
- Texture: The curly cavatappi pasta held the sauce well, but some found the bacon too thick or fatty.
Reviews from our home cooks
This dish was terrific-the perfect combination of savory, earthy and tangy, studded with salty bits of bacon. The Cavatappi was the right robust pasta to hold the sauce. We used all the chili flakes for added spice, and a little extra Parmesan. Delicious!
This is legitimately fantastic, one of my favorite dishes I've ever eaten. There was a tanginess (tomato? basil paste?) that balanced the savory bacon perfectly. I had to keep myself from eating the entire two portions in one sitting.
We loved how easy and fast this was to make. The flavors were excellent. I was hesitant about the bacon because I felt like it would be almost too much but it ended up being a pretty fantastic addition to the flavors.
This was an amazing, delicious recipe. I would prepare it every week. It was THAT good. The asparagus was thin, young, and fresh. We loved this recipe so much.
Quick, easy, and tasty. Who doesn't like bacon? I actually used extra from my free item supply. Ingredients kept well for a week in my fridge before I had a chance to cook it. Genius to use basil paste instead of fresh herb which would have turned to mush before the box arrived on my porch.
So delicious! The only suggestion would be to add lemon to the tomatoes (or dish) when cooking them. I did that bc that's what i often do to make tomatoes taste fresher -- and it really added a complementary flavor that pushed the whole thing over the top.
Has a good balance of not being too cheesy/creamy and the asparagus with bacon give it a nice texture
Really tasty! It's a lot of food - we had plenty for a second day, and it reheated in a skillet very nicely. I just added a little chicken broth and it was ready for a 2nd meal.
Anything with bacon is always a win here. I would suggest updating the cooking instructions to chop the bacon first and then fry it. So much faster and easier.
Ok. Asparagus and tomatoes were pretty much tasteless. More bacon. I added 3/4 c of sour cream because the sauce was way too watery and I didn't have more cream cheese. I might do this recipe again with my modifications.
