Creamy Asparagus & Bacon Pasta Bake
with Parmesan & Lemon
- Wheat
- Milk
You’re going to prep this creamy dreamy baby in a flash, then let the oven do the rest of the work. Penne pasta bubbles away in a velvety lemon-cream sauce along with crispy bacon, asparagus, onion, and garlic beneath a golden topping of Parmesan. You’ll whip it out of the oven (with mitts of course!), then it’s straight to the table to serve family style for an easy, filling, Alfredo-style crowd-pleaser that will win you all the heart eyes you could ever need!
Ingredients
4 ounce
Bacon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
6 ounce
Asparagus
1 unit
Onion
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Nonstick Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings). • Place bacon* on a baking sheet; roast on top rack until crispy, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
• While pasta cooks, trim and discard woody bottom ends from asparagus; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and finely dice onion. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned and tender, 4-6 minutes. • Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds more.
• Return drained penne to empty pot; add cooked veggies and half the chopped bacon. • Add stock concentrate, sour cream, cream sauce base, juice from half the lemon, and a pinch of lemon zest. Stir to combine, adding splashes of reserved pasta cooking water as needed until everything is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. • Bake on top rack until cheese melts, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining chopped bacon.
• Let pasta bake rest for 5 minutes before serving. • Serve family style directly from baking dish with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the creamy lemon sauce with bacon and asparagus, though some found it bland or too oniony.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was easy to make, but some felt it used too many pots and pans.
- Suggestions: Consider adding chicken or more bacon for extra protein; some preferred less onion or no lemon.
- Leftovers: Several mentioned it reheated well and made great leftovers the next day.
- Portions: Some wished for more asparagus, bacon, or pasta; others found the serving size satisfying.
Reviews from our home cooks
Roast the bacon? Seriously? I fried the bacon, then sautéed the asparagus and onion in the same pan with the remaining bacon grease. More calories I assume, but definitely better taste, and one less pan to wash. No regrets!
Really smoky bacon with good texture; flavorful and creamy without just being fatty paste. Only "criticism" is would have liked a little more asparagus.
So good! I added a few red pepper flakes to kick up the heat and cooked the asparagus in the bacon grease.
Easy and delicious! For added flavor, skip cooking the bacon in the oven and cook the bacon in a pan and use the same pan to cook the asparagus!
This will go into my rotation. I love the crunchy asparagus paired with the chewy bacon. Portions were adequate. Easy to cook. Yummy to eat.
I love any meal with an asparagus & bacon combination. However, given the richness of bacon, the acid from lemon & sour cream wasn't enough to cut through the heaviness of the cream cheese. It was too dense, and I think a more traditional Alfredo type white sauce with some white wine would work better.
This is delicious! I added more bacon and more cream, because we like it that way, but the basic recipe is very good.
Wonderful meal. We loved the asparagus in the pasta. And the sauce was so creamy, simply delicious!
This was delicious, the salty bacon and fresh asparagus and savory onion was a great flavor combination.
Not quite as flavorful and creamy as some of your other pasta dishes. Used every pan in the kitchen but still quite tasty. Loved the asparagus and lemon.
