Creamy Cheesy Maple Bacon and Broccoli Bucatini

A deliciously creamy and cheesy pasta delight, accentuated with maple bacon and fresh broccoli, perfect for a comforting meal.

By @organicallyca

Original recipe source

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 0 gallons water for boiling
• 0 salt for boiling water
• 0.5 tbsp butter
• 0.5 tbsp olive oil
• 6 rashers maple bacon sliced
• 1 head broccoli cut into florets
• 1 brown onion diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 0.5 tsp chili flakes optional
• 0 salt to taste
• 0 black pepper to taste
• 270 g sun dried tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• 150 ml thickened cream
• 1 head broccoli cooked
• 3 rashers maple bacon half reserved
• 0 pasta water to emulsify sauce
• 250 g bucatini cooked al dente
• 0 Parmesan cheese to thicken sauce
• 3 rashers maple bacon remaining, crispy
• 0 Parmesan cheese freshly shaved
• 0 parsley freshly chopped

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt heavily.
2. In a separate pan over medium heat with the butter and olive oil, cook off the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan once crispy.
3. Add broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove once it's bright green and set aside.
4. Discard some of the fat from the bacon pan and add the diced onions along with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
5. Once onions have softened, add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add cream cheese and thickened cream, stirring until melted and combined.
7. Add the cooked broccoli and half of the bacon to the pan and stir to combine.
8. Add some pasta water to emulsify the sauce before adding the al dente bucatini. Stir until evenly coated.
9. Add Parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce. Adjust consistency with more pasta water if needed.
10. Serve pasta topped with remaining bacon, freshly shaved Parmesan, and freshly chopped parsley.