Bacon shells and cheese are the perfect dinner when you’re looking for comfort food but short on time.
This easy pasta with bacon dish is full of summer vegetables, crispy bacon, pasta, and a creamy cheese sauce.
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What beer pairs well with this shells and cheese recipe?
The beer: Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing.
This is an amber ale is a great beer for the warmer weather. It has slightly fruity notes, so it pairs well with salty bacon.
Pasta is perfect for entertaining
Do you have special dishes you pull out when people are coming over?
This dish is perfect to make when you are planning on having company over. Pair with a salad and garlic bread. It also goes great with these simple stuffed mushrooms.
When I say that this pasta comes together quickly, I’m not exaggerating.
Ingredients
This pasta with bacon has-
- Shell pasta. You can use small or medium-sized shells, whichever you prefer.
- Crispy bacon. Cook before adding to the pasta.
- Vegetables like zucchini, onions, and tomatoes.
- A creamy alfredo sauce made with butter, milk, parmesan cheese thickened with flour and seasoned with black pepper
How to make bacon shells and cheese step-by-step
Start your pasta to boil and your diced bacon to cook according to package directions, they take approximately the same amount of time.
Once your pasta has cooked drain and set aside.
While they are both cooking chop your vegetables.
Once the bacon has cooked remove it from the pan and reserve 1 tsp. of the bacon grease. Not too much but enough to keep the flavor.
In the same pan, melt 1 Tbs. butter in the bottom, then add onions and zucchini. Soften for around 3 minutes. Over the top of the vegetables sprinkle the flour and stir.
Add tomatoes. Sautee quickly. Pour in milk.
Bring to a simmer and add Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese blend, garlic powder, and pepper. Let thicken, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
Put your pasta and bacon back into the pan.
Transfer to a beautiful serving bowl, and garnish with more cheese & basil.
Tips & Variations
- While I like to use shell macaroni in this dish, you can use any type of pasta.
- Want to omit the bacon? Make sure to add 1 tablespoon of butter when sauteeing the vegetables.
- This would go wonderfully with a side bread, like this recipe for Rosemary Focaccia Bread from Love & Lemons
Storage
Add leftovers to a covered container and refrigerate. Eat within 3 days. To reheat, add to a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, place 1/4 of the whole milk into the pan, and then the leftovers. Reheat until heated through and serve.
I do not recommend freezing pasta dishes with heavy cream sauce as they do not freeze well. Dry pasta has a long shelf life, and you can freeze sliced bacon in the package in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the bacon 24 hours before cooking.
More pasta recipes
And here you are…..
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
Bacon Shells and Cheese
Equipment
- large sautee pan
- baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 ounces small shell pasta cooked to package directions
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 ounces bacon cooked to package directions, reserve 1 tsp oil after cooked
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend more for garnish if desired
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 2 small zucchini diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 small Roma tomato diced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start your pasta to boil and your diced bacon to cook according to package directions, they take approximately the same amount of time.8 ounces small shell pasta, 12 ounces bacon
- Dice vegetables.2 small zucchini, 1 small onion, 1 small Roma tomato
- Once your pasta has cooked drain and set aside. When bacon is cooked remove it from the pan and reserve 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease in the pan.
- In the same pan, melt 1 Tbs. butter in the bottom, then add onions and zucchini. Soften for around 3 minutes. Over the top of the vegetables sprinkle the flour and stir.1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons flour
- Add tomatoes. Sautee quickly. Pour in milk.1 cup milk
- Bring to a simmer and add the Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese blend, garlic powder, and pepper. Let thicken, which should take about 2-3 minutes.1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Put your pasta and bacon back into the pan.
- Garnish with more cheese & basil.
Notes
Tips for making this recipe:
- Don’t have pasta hells? You can use pretty much any other pasta as a substitute.
- If you decide to leave out the bacon, use an additional teaspoon of butter to sautee the vegetables.
- To store: Add leftovers to a covered container and refrigerate. Eat within 3 days. To reheat, add to a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, place 1/4 of the whole milk into the pan, and then the leftovers. Reheat until heated through and serve.
Originally published in September of 2016. Updated post in May of 2021.
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Last Updated on December 3, 2023 by Erin@BottomLeftoftheMitten
With a small gathering this weekend, I now know what to make. And adding beer to my shopping list, too!
Sounds great Linda! Thank you.
So I’m excited to make this because my garden has a plethora of zucchini and tomatoes right now. However, seeing as there are several types of Italian cheeses, I wanted to inquire as to which one you meant? Some are much more viscous than others.
I use an Italian cheese blend that includes mozzarella, provolone, Romano, Asiago, and Parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy it!