Bring Home the Bacon Spaghetti
with Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Italian Cheese & Scallions
- Milk
- Wheat
This rich, satisfying riff on the traditional Italian amatriciana sauce (the folks in the town of Amatrice say it must contain cured pork jowl, among other things, or it’s not the real deal) is made instead with smoky bacon, onion and bell pepper for sweet-savoryness. Tomatoes add brightness, and a creamy, rich Italian cheese blend + butter make for a full-bodied sauce that pairs perfectly with al dente spaghetti. Don’t tell Amatrice how divine it is!
Ingredients
4 ounce
Bacon
½ unit
Onion
1 unit
Crushed Tomatoes
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
½ cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
1 clove
Garlic
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Bell Pepper
6 ounce
Spaghetti
(Contains: Wheat)
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
½ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, core, and thinly slice bell pepper into strips. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Halve, peel, and finely chop half the onion (whole onion for 4 servings).
• Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon* in an even layer. Cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until bacon is crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Carefully discard all but a thin layer of bacon fat. • Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• While bacon cools, heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, scallion whites, Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until veggies are browned and tender, 5-7 minutes. TIP: Add a splash of water if veggies are browning too quickly. • Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Stir crushed tomatoes, stock concentrate, half the chopped bacon, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings), and ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4) into same pan. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 2-4 minutes. • Reduce heat to low. Stir in half the cheese and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted and incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir drained spaghetti into sauce and toss until thoroughly coated. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: Add another splash of pasta cooking water and a drizzle of olive oil for an extra glossy sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls; top with remaining cheese and remaining bacon. Sprinkle with scallion greens and serve.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The smoky bacon adds richness to the sauce, though many felt the bacon flavor got lost among the tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Ease of prep: Most found it manageable, but a few noted juggling multiple timers made it feel more involved than expected.
- Suggestions: Dice the bell peppers smaller so they blend into the sauce rather than overpowering it; add red pepper flakes or a splash of hot sauce for more depth 🌶️. Some also found the sauce too acidic — a pinch of extra sugar or a longer simmer helped balance it.
- Leftovers: Several reviewers agreed the flavors melded beautifully overnight, making leftovers even tastier than the first serving.
Reviews from our home cooks
I had never tried this one before, and based on the ingredients, I figured it was a sure thing. Overall we both enjoyed it, but somehow the flavors never came together for me the way some of the other recipes do. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't knock my socks off, and if I'm going to take the time to cook a meal from scratch, I want it to thrill me. And this didn't. Not that it was bad, but I probably won't be getting it again. There are too many other recipes out there that DO wow me.
Bacon was very thick and we had to trim it down. I think there should be a step for that, or use pre-sliced bacon
I personally wasn't a fan of the red pepper slices but maybe if I chopped them next time it would be fine. Other than that no complaints.
Could use more bacon! I loved this rendition of spaghetti.
What's not to love with bacon and spaghetti? This one was good!
I remember anticipating that this one might be a little one note but I was impressed, I liked it a lot
I could have eaten more! Great food, beautiful ingredients. I save so much money ordering from you!!!!
Please bring this back! It was SO good - I dream about it!
My hubby loves the "homemade sauce" and always enjoys BACON!!!
I didn't get the chance to use this recipe bc I had a last minute out of town trip come up so I gave it to my parents. They RAVED about this recipe! I hope it comes up again so I can reorder it to try.
