Pesto Tagliatelle with Bacon

Fresh pesto and bacon for an easy dinner for two

Make the pesto first, then bring the pasta together

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Pesto tagliatelle with bacon is a lively two-person dinner built from broad pasta ribbons, a freshly blended green sauce, and tiny strips of savory bacon. The whole dish takes twenty minutes, and the work feels especially manageable when the pesto is ready before the pasta reaches the water.

The key is coordination rather than speed. Measure and blend the pesto first, reserve a few leaves for the top, and then let the pasta and bacon cook at the same time. When both are ready, everything returns to the pasta pot for one simple mix, so there is no separate sauce pan to manage at the finish.

Measure the pesto ingredients before blending

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A kitchen scale makes quick work of weighing the pine kernels, basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese. Keep a small portion of the leaves separate for the finished bowls. Measure the extra-virgin olive oil in a liquid measuring cup, and use a fine grater for the cheese. Having these portions lined up lets you add them in order without stopping the processor to measure.

Start the pesto in a food processor with the garlic, the measured kernels, and some salt. Process them briefly, then add most of the leaves and blend to a green paste. Pour in the oil gradually instead of all at once, and add the grated cheese last. That sequence keeps the short blending job orderly and makes the reserved leaves easy to spot when it is time to finish the dish.

Cook the pasta and bacon side by side

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Use the stovetop for two jobs at once. Bring salted water to a boil in a cooking pot, add the pasta, and aim for an al dente texture at about nine minutes. The eight-to-ten-minute window gives you room to check a ribbon near the end rather than watching the clock alone.

As soon as the pasta begins cooking, set a frying pan on the second burner and sauté the tiny bacon strips. Starting both pans together helps their cooking windows meet. Keep the prepared pesto nearby, but leave it out of the hot pans until the drained pasta is back in its pot.

Drain, return, and mix

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When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander and return it directly to the cooking pot. Add the pesto and sautéed bacon, then turn the ribbons with a wooden spoon until the green sauce and small bacon pieces are distributed through the pasta. Work from the bottom of the pot upward so the pesto reaches the ribbons underneath as well as those on top.

Finish with the leaves set aside earlier. Keeping that final handful separate from the processor gives the bowls a fresh green top while the rest of the basil stays blended into the pesto. With the sauce already made and both cooked parts arriving together, the dish can move from pot to table without a long pause.

Keep the twenty-minute sequence calm

Think of the meal in three short stages: pesto first, pasta and bacon together, then one final mix. Clear away the processor ingredients before the water boils so the colander has a place by the sink and the finished pot has an open landing spot. This small bit of organization matters more than rushing, especially when two burners and the processor are all part of a compact dinner.

The recipe serves two, so the measured pesto is meant to meet this batch of pasta and bacon. Add the prepared components in full, mix carefully, and use the reserved leaves only at the end. Following that order keeps every part of the dinner accounted for and makes the final minute feel straightforward.

Share a small pasta supper

A two-person pasta dish creates an easy reason to sit down together, whether the table is shared by family members, close friends, or two people catching up after a busy day. One person can blend the pesto while the other clears the table or keeps an eye on the two pans, then both can settle in once the ribbons are coated and the fresh leaves are on top. Serve the portions while they are ready, pass anything else that belongs with the meal, and let the bright green pasta be the center of an unhurried conversation. The short cooking window leaves more of the evening for the people at the table rather than for extra pans at the stove.

Tell us who joined you for this pasta dinner, or ask a question about coordinating the pesto, tagliatelle, and bacon. Leave a comment.