Pappardelle with Leeks and Bacon is a fast and easy comfort food pasta that will win you rave reviews any night of the week.
This easy pappardelle pasta recipe is so good and so easy that I knew I couldn't keep it to myself!
For other Italian and Italian-inspired recipes, I invite you to check out: Italian Sausage, Fennel and White Bean Soup, Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers, Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna, and Pan-Fried Mozzarella Stuffed Arancini.
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Table of Contents Found Here
- How this recipe came to be:
- The ingredient list:
- Kitchen tools and equipment needed
- The beautiful leek:
- How do leeks taste?
- Cleaning leeks
- How to properly clean leeks:
- How long does it take to make this easy pappardelle pasta recipe?
- Can other pasta be used in place of the pappardelle?
- How to make easy pappardelle with leeks and bacon:
- Additional pasta dishes:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
How this recipe came to be:
I found this recipe in the February 2013 issue of Bon Appétit magazine as I was paging through my huge pile of food magazines trying to whittle down the stack into something manageable. Ha! Like that will ever happen.
The ingredient list:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
- leeks
- bacon
- pappardelle pasta
- olive oil
- butter
- heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper
Kitchen tools and equipment needed
- pasta pot
- large skillet
- cheese grater (optional)
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- large bowl (for cleaning the leeks)
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- paper towels (to drain bacon)
The beautiful leek:
Every time I cook with leeks I'm reminded why I love them so much!
Leeks are a truly fascinating vegetable. Visually they look like very much like scallions, but on steroids.
When you slice a leek in half, and you'll see layers upon layers of oniony goodness.
They really are quite beautiful and cooking with them will elevate your everyday dishes to something very special.
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How do leeks taste?
Leeks are members of the allium family.
Allium means "garlic" in Latin but the allium family also contains onions, shallots, chives, and scallions (green onions).
Leeks have a mild onion-like flavor and they tend to be sweeter and milder in flavor than their smaller counterpart, the scallion.
Cleaning leeks
The one thing you do have to be aware of when you're cooking with leeks, however, is that you need to make sure to clean them properly.
It is because of all those wonderful layers of flavors that sometimes a bit of dirt and grit can get trapped inside.
Always make it a practice to soak cut leeks in a bowl or sink full of water so that the dirt and grit have an opportunity to fall away and not end up in your completed dish.
It only takes an extra couple of minutes to do, but doing so is a must!
How to properly clean leeks:
How long does it take to make this easy pappardelle pasta recipe?
Less than 30 minutes from start to dinner.
Pappardelle with leeks and bacon is definitely a company-worthy recipe and yet it's something you could easily whip together on any random Tuesday night for a quick family-friendly meal.
Can other pasta be used in place of the pappardelle?
Sure! Use whatever pasta is your favorite.
How to make easy pappardelle with leeks and bacon:
- In a large skillet, cook the chopped bacon until just shy of crisp.
- Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet.
- Prepare the leeks by cutting off the root end and most of the deep green stalks.
- Slice the white and light green part in half and soak in cold water to release the dirt and grit.
- Splay the layers with your fingers to make sure you've cleaned them properly.
- Drain thoroughly and cut into thin slices.
- Sauté the leeks in the same pan as the bacon, making sure you've drained all but approximately 1 tablespoon of fat.
- Add butter and season with dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Add in the cooked bacon, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese (photo not shown).
- Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle just shy of the package directions.
- Drain the pasta, add olive oil and stir in the leek and cream mixture.
- Toss and serve.
Additional pasta dishes:
One-Pot Linguine with Italian Sausage and Capers (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
One-Pot Pasta of Linguine, Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, and Capers is an easy and satisfying meal for busy nights when time is tight, the family is hungry, and you don’t want to fuss with too much prep or clean up.
Roasted Tomato Bacon Basil Linguine
If you can turn on the oven and boil water, then you’ll be successful at making this delicious family favorite Roasted Garden Fresh Tomato Bacon Basil Linguine.
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
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Printable Recipe Card
Pappardelle with Leeks and Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon cooked, drained and crumbled. Reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the skillet.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium leeks white and light green parts only cleaned and thinly sliced.
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound dried pappardelle pasta or favorite variety dried pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained, but reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In the same large skillet in which the bacon was cooked, saute the sliced leeks in the butter and the reserved bacon grease over medium heat.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, and cooked bacon.
- Stir in the heavy cream and the Parmesan cheese. Simmer on low for approximately 5 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and gently stir in the 2 tablespoons oil.
- Add the leek and cream mixture into the pasta and toss to coat.
- Stir in ¼ to ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, if desired, to form a sauce.
- Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's fast and easy dinner recipe for pappardelle pasta as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Jessica Formicola says
My family loves leeks, and eeeeveryone loves bacon so I can't wait to make this! It's sure to become a family favorite!
Renée says
For sure, Jessica!!
Savory Experiments says
Pappardelle is one of those pastas that I love eating, but always forget about it. The whole dish looks amazing!
Amanda Tynis says
I'm a big pasta fan! And I love the addition of leeks! I could go for a big plate of this now!
Samantha says
Leeks and bacon....what a great combo. Pappardelle... I've never had the pleasure! I think I'll give it a try asap!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Pappardelle is my favorite pasta! Plus you threw in bacon and leeks....how delicious!
Nancy Piran says
We are big pasta eaters in our house! This looks delicious!
Kellie Hemmerly says
Bacon and leeks together are the best! I love that you put it all on pasta...it's calling to me.
Ginny McMeans says
I just love your leeks lesson. All the way to the final cutting and sauteeing. Of, course, your PAPPARDELLE dish looks delicious.
Melanie says
I adore leeks. This looks so comforting!
foody schmoody says
As soon as I saw the title of this recipe I thought "oh, yeah, leeks, why don't I use those more" and then I read that you said the same thing. They are the forgotten aren't they? This recipe looks great!
Back for Seconds says
Why do I never cook with leeks? I love them! This looks delish!
Brenda@SugarFreeMom says
I totally get you about the magazine overload, as soon as I give some away I have more I forgot to look at! Love leeks, looks great!
Angie Barrett says
Is there anything better than a HUGE plate of Pasta? Nope, not a thing! Oh wait.. maybe two plates of this! I don't cook with leeks much but I need to!
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says
I love how big and fat papparedelle is...I only wish I could ever find it around here. This dish sounds fantastic, like true comfort food - bacon and leeks (or onion in any form) is a magical combination!
Lauren @ HealthyDelish says
i love leeks! I've made the mistake of not cleaning them well enough before... and it's one I'll never make again.This recipe looks really yummy!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
This pasta combo looks delicious and made me instantly hungry. If you can believe this, I have a hard time finding pappardelle. But Trader Joe's to the rescue. They have it, I bought it and I now know how I'm going to use it. Thanks for the recipe Renee.
Martha @ A Family Feast says
We love leeks - and with bacon - AND fresh pappardelle? This sounds heavenly!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
Can we say comfort food?! I could use a BIG bowl of this right now. 🙂