Pasta With Potatoes & Bacon: Quick Italian Recipe

A quick and delicious pasta with potatoes that the whole family will really love, especially when you don’t have time to cook.

Creamy pasta with potatoes & bacon is cheap and has a few nutritious products.

Pasta and potatoes is a traditional Italian dish, belonging to the inventive food region of Southern Italy.

As I live in Sicily, I find myself making this quite often for lunch!

It’s quick to make, contains only a handful of ingredients, and every single member of my family always loves it.

Why This Recipe Works

It is a super simple dish to make with ingredients you surely have in your pantry. 

Plus it is the ultimate comfort food.

Imagine a rainy day where something warm and delicious would make the day better. Here this pasta with potatoes is the answer.

The whole family will love it. As a child, pasta and potatoes was one of my favorite dishes, still is!

Make this pasta for your family, we are sure it will be approved.

It’s probably one of my favorite things to cook!

It reminds me so much of my childhood growing up in a small, Sicilian town.

I’d come home from school, and this pasta dish would be waiting on the table for me, prepared by my mother.

Ingredients Needed For This Pasta With Potatoes

These are the main ingredients you need for this recipe.

For the step-by-step directions and measurements, scroll down to our printable recipe card. 

• Potatoes: For the preparation of this recipe, we need floury potatoes.

The result we want to create is a creamy one because of the starch in the potato.

Russets potato is perfect for the preparation of this pasta and potato.  Russet potatoes are also known as Idaho potatoes in the United States.

• Onion & carrots:  Base used for many Italian dishes. 

Onions serve for acidity, and carrots for sweetness.

• Pancetta or bacon : Pancetta gives that extra touch to this dish, but if you want a vegetarian pasta you can omit it.

The result is always delicious, believe me!

• Vegetable broth: This is the liquid we will use to cook potatoes faster and to cook the pasta. The broth makes the dish more flavorful.

Make it from the scraps of carrots and onion. 

• White wine: Fats present in seasonings such as pancetta  fat in this case are partly dissolved by the wine, which creates a creaminess capable of giving smoothness to the dish.

• Pasta: My advice is to use a short pasta, such as ditali or orecchiette. In the Neapolitan tradition, mixed pasta is used.

• Grated parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese is the best choice for this pasta, I love the flavor it gives to the dish.

• Extra virgin olive oil

How To Cook This Pasta & Potatoes

We have two versions for cooking this pasta, either cook the sauce first and then the pasta in two different pots or cook everything in one pot.

In this recipe I cooked the sauce separately, but below you will also find the version in one pot.

Start by sautéing the onion and carrots, brown them, and add the bacon.

After letting it cook for a couple of minutes, add the potatoes. 

Add the vegetable broth and bring to the boil then simmer slowly, when the potatoes have softened, mash some with a fork, this will make the dish super creamy. 

Then add the white wine and bring to a boil, then let it simmer to evaporate the alcohol.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water.

When the pasta is al dente transfer to the pan with the sauce, remember to always leave to keep a glass with the pasta cooking water.

Mix the pasta with the sauce and add the cheese and pasta cooking water, and mix well together.

How To Serve

This pasta and potatoes is a dish that should be served immediately after cooking.

Serve with a drizzle of oil and lots and lots of parmesan cheese on top.

To make this dish even better, add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper or a pinch of chopped red pepper.

This dish can also be prepared for a quick dinner, as I know in most other countries pasta is preferred as a dinner.

Storage

You can store the pasta and potatoes for up to 2 days by keeping it in the refrigerator. 

Freezing is not recommended.

To reheat, heat it in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil, add a trickle of water if needed

If you liked this pasta and potatoes, you might also like some of my other pasta recipes we have here. Like this easy pasta with broccoli or this simple but delicious pasta with mushrooms.

More pasta recipe:

• Spaghetti With Zucchini: A Simple Dish Full Of Taste
• Pasta Recipe With Fresh Tomatoes: A Quick And Tasty Meal
• Pasta With Peas And Bacon: Easy And Fast Italian Recipe!

Recipe Variations

ONE-POT POTATO PASTA (PASTA E PATATE)

Another way to prepare this recipe is to cook the pasta along with the sauce.

When the potatoes are softened, mash some of them with the back of a wooden spoon; at this point pour in the mixed pasta.

Immediately add another 2 cups of hot water and bring everything to the boil.

Let the pasta cook, stirring from time to time: should it be necessary, add more water if needed.

Make this pasta and potatoes vegetarian

To create a delicious vegetarian pasta, the recipe is the same, you just need to omit the bacon.

Add tomato to make this pasta with potatoes more colorful.

Use a substitute for parmesan cheese.

Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian because it contains animal rennet .

You can find vegetarian parmesan in the supermarket. Make sure to check the label before buying anyway.

To create a delicious vegetarian pasta, the recipe is the same, you just need to omit the bacon.

Baked Variant of Pasta & Potatoes

To make this version, all you have to do is turn off the heat when the pasta is still al dente and slightly brothy, add the mozzarella cut into small pieces and tip everything into a baking dish.

Top with grated parmesan and pecorino cheese, a sprinkling of pepper and bake au gratin in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes And Tips

One of the richest and most delicious versions of pasta e patate alla napoletana is the addition of what is known in Campania as provola or smoked mozzarella.

Simply cut it into cubes and let it melt at the end of cooking, stirring well until it becomes stringy and creamy.

An irresistible pleasure for your palate!

Always remember:

• Ssave a cup of pasta cooking water. This will be used to whip the pasta with fromage to make it creamier and delicious.

• The pasta should always be al dente, to avoid the mushy effect.

• If you are using authentic parmesan cheese and it’s nearly done, instead of throwing away the crust, add it to your pasta and let it cook for a few minutes. This adds a real unique creaminess to any Italian dish!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Pasta With Potatoes: A Delicious & Creamy Pasta Dish

As befits traditional Italian country cooking, just a few ingredients are used in an inventive way to produce a rich taste and creamy texture.

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