
I spy with my little eye…bacon…asparagus…pasta…Parmesan…
…and?
(Triple gold star if you can guess the secret ingredient!)

White wine.
Mmmmm.
(Did you guess it?) Actually, if you’re not a fan of cooking with wine, you can easily sub in some chicken broth and maybe a hint of lemon juice.
But this recipe was 100% inspired by leftovers in my kitchen on the Sunday afternoon that I whipped it up. And after having had friends over the night before, half a bottle of white wine was corked and calling my name. So, as I like to do, I added half of it to the pasta, and poured the rest into a small glass to drink while I cooked. Perfection.

Seriously, though, the wine ended up being the perfect ingredient to pull this simple pasta together. Let me explain…

Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil, and cook your pasta (I went with linguine) according to package instructions until it’s al dente.
Meanwhile, add your diced bacon to a saute pan. Cook it up in a pan until it’s nice and crispy. Then remove it with a slotted spoon, and leave the leftover (about 1 Tbsp.) grease in the pan.
(For timing’s sake, I would add your pasta to the boiling water at this point after your bacon is cooked.)

Add your fresh asparagus, and saute it in the bacon grease until it’s nice and cooked and still has a bit of a “bite”. (Try to avoid overcooking it!)
Then add the white wine, and give the bottom of the pan a good stir to scrape those brown bits off the bottom. It might not be the prettiest, but trust me, this step is so worth it and the pasta’s loveliness will recover. ;)
Let the white wine boil down for a few minutes until it is reduced by about half.

Then once the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the pan, along with the cooked bacon and asparagus and half of the Parmesan. Give it a good toss.

Then sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.
And then dive in! Because I guarantee you that this pasta will disappear quickly. ;)
5-Ingredient Bacon Asparagus Pasta
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: About 3-4 servings 1x
Description
This 5-Ingredient Bacon Asparagus Pasta is super easy to make, and full of absolutely amazing flavor!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) uncooked pasta (I used linguine)
- 1/2 lb. (about 8 strips) uncooked bacon, diced
- 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) fresh aspagarus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can double this if you’d like)
- 1/2 cup grated or flaked Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously-salted water al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, add bacon to a medium saute pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add asparagus to the pan and saute in the bacon grease for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the bacon. Slowly add the white wine to the pan, and scape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to deglaze the pan and pick up all of those yummy brown bits. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by about half.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it. Then add the pasta, asparagus, bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the saute pan, and toss until combined. Sprinkle pasta with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
- *If the pasta seems too dry, add in 1/4 cup of the pasta water after adding in the asparagus and bacon and toss to combine.





Was it dry? I was just wondering if 1/2 cup of the pasta water would have helped. Thoughts?
Hi Bree,
Definitely a great idea to add in some of the pasta water if it seems too dry. Hope you enjoy!
~Ali
Oh my goodness, this looks so beautiful AND delicious. Asparagus might just be my favorite vegetable and pasta with bacon is always a winner. Yum! Can you ship me some for lunch?
Ok…is there anyway for me to magically just dive into this picture and swim in that delicious noodle goodness? This recipe looks amazing, I will no doubt be making this. It is such a great spring/summer dish…although I would eat it year round. I love that it is simple and colorful. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! You have totally made my appetite escalate with this one!
That Comfort Girl
Perfection indeed! Love it :)
Ok, I really COULDN’T wait to try it. I made it last night for dinner and I can attest this is one awesome recipe! And super quick too!
What’s not to love? This looks absolutely out of this world!
So amazingly delicious!
YUM! You are the QUEEN of making me hungry :)
Nothing beats wine, back, and using up leftovers in the fridge. Yummo!! Pinned and shared :)
I love these flavors. Sometimes the best recipes come from random ingredients leftover in your fridge :)!