Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine

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Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine is a dinner that combines speed and flavor. It’s perfect for a family weeknight dinner and a great option if you’re having guests you want to impress. You get delicious saltiness from the bacon and feta. The lemony parmesan sauce adds the perfect amount of citrusy balance. And the spinach and cherry tomatoes deliver great freshness to this recipe.


Spinach, bacon, tomato, feta fettuccine plated in royal blue bowl with a lemon wedge. In the background is a whole garlic bulb, a ramiken with grated parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes.


This is a very popular dish in my house. It’s one of my son Aidan’s all-time favorites. He keeps a list of his favorite dinners and this one definitely ranks in the top three. We affectionately refer to this dinner as Bacon “FETA-cine” in my house.


The idea for this recipe literally popped into my head while I was walking aimlessly around the grocery store trying to figure out what I wanted for dinner. I knew I wanted a pasta dish with bacon, cherry tomatoes and spinach. And I wanted a more lemony, buttery, oily sauce as opposed to anything thick and creamy or super cheesy. Feta cheese is one of my husband’s favorite things in the world to eat so it was an easy addition to include in my dinner idea.


What makes this dinner so amazing? Among other things, is bacon. Bacon makes everything better. It adds the perfect amount of salt and crunchy texture to this recipe. So much flavor comes from the feta, cherry tomatoes and lemon sauce. This dish is essentially a fettuccine with bacon, feta cheese, spinach and cherry tomatoes. Everything is tossed together with a delicious sauce made of olive oil, butter, garlic, chicken broth, lemon and grated parmesan cheese.


The cherry tomato and lemon in this recipe add the perfect amount of acid and citrus that compliment the saltiness from the bacon, feta, parm cheese and chicken broth. For a pasta recipe, this comes out incredibly light yet very satisfying.


This dinner is quick and easy to make. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight dinner to cook for the family. This fettuccine dish is also a very beautiful and elegant meal that’s a perfect recipe idea for when you’re having company over for dinner. This is also a convenient meal as it uses mostly ingredients that I have on hand all the time. The only thing I have to grab at the store is the feta cheese. I only need that when I’m making a recipe that needs it. Otherwise, Mr. Tonio will literally just eat all of it right out of the container.


Pasta dinners are amazing because there are literally so many variations of pastas and variations in the sauces and ingredients you use. There really are endless combinations to how many pasta recipes you can come up with. Best of all, pasta cooks so quickly and it’s very budget-friendly. Not only is pasta cheap to buy and stock up on, but it’s something that everyone has on hand in their house. Pasta makes for a great, hearty, filling dinner option that easily feeds a crowd.


Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach?

Spinach is one of my favorite things to add into meals. It tastes great and it absorbs the flavor of whatever sauce that it’s cooked in. Spinach is amazing and full of vitamins and minerals and it has so many versatile uses. I buy a bag of fresh spinach or baby spinach when I’m making this for dinner.

I’m a fan of using fresh veggies. However, you could certainly use frozen if that’s what you prefer or if that’s what you have on hand. When using frozen spinach, I would thaw the spinach or microwave it for 2-3 minutes until thawed. Squeeze as much of the liquid as possible out of the frozen spinach. Placing the thawed spinach between two paper towels and squeezing a few times is probably the easiest way to do this.


Bakin’ the bacon

How you decide to cook the bacon for this recipe is up to you. If you prefer to fry it in a pan on the stovetop, then go for it. My Nana always baked her bacon and that’s the way I’ve always done mine as well.

To start, preheat the oven to 385°F. Pan spray 2-3 baking sheets with pan spray. Lay each individual slice of bacon out flat on the baking sheets. Normally, I would make sure that each slice isn’t touching the other. However, it doesn’t matter too much if the bacon is slightly touching or overlapping in this instance because you’ll just end up chopping it for this recipe.


Alternate Ingredients


  • Bacon: You could swap out this protein for chicken, turkey, ground beef, Italian sausage and so much more. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian friendly by using tempeh, tofu or just omitting the bacon at all.
  • Fresh garlic: I love fresh garlic in anything. However, I have made this Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine with jarred minced garlic and it comes out perfect every time.
  • Cherry tomatoes: You can use grape tomatoes instead. Or whole tomatoes such as heirloom or plum tomatoes work great. Just chop the whole tomatoes into smaller chunks.
  • Fettuccine: Fettuccine is my favorite and go-to pasta. You can absolutely use whatever you would like. Other long pastas like linguine, spaghetti or bucatini would turn out great. Or you could substitute with any shorter pasta that you like. Farfalle, rigatoni or ziti would absorb the sauce wonderfully.
  • Chicken broth: I use boxed chicken broth when I happen to have it in the house. Otherwise, I add 2 cups of water to a small saucepan and add 2 chicken bouillon cubes and bring to a boil until the cubes are dissolved. I get my cup and a half of broth needed for the recipe from the saucepan. It doesn’t need to cool off or anything prior to using it in this recipe.
  • Feta cheese: I realize that feta is an acquired taste. My father loves it and my mother always insisted that it smelled like feet. To each is own. But I’m Team Dad on this one and I absolutely love it. We always buy the traditional feta cheese. The husband has a meltdown when fat free is accidentally purchased (haha). But you can absolutely get fat free if that’s your preference. Or if you’re anything like my mother, this recipe would still be beautiful and delicious without it.


Instructions

Preheat oven to 385°F. Lay the bacon flat on a baking pan or pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate when done to absorb excess grease. Once cooled, chop the bacon and set aside.

Prepare the fettuccine according to package instructions. Once the pasta has been drained, return to the pot and toss with ¼ cup olive oil. This prevents the fettuccine from sticking together. Chop the garlic and slice the cherry tomatoes.


Heat a large pan sprayed pan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup olive oil, butter, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Then, add chicken broth, grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Reduce heat to low and stir and allow to cook for 10 minutes.


Return the pot of fettuccine to the stovetop and turn the heat on low. Immediately top the pasta with spinach, feta and chopped bacon. Pour the Lemon Parmesan Sauce into the pot. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts.


Remove the pot from the heat and uncover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir until everything is fully combined and serve. Enjoy with some 5-Minute Garlic Bread.


More Recipes You May Enjoy


  • Easy Weeknight Shrimp Scampi: This shrimp scampi recipe will put an amazing dinner on the table for you and your family in under 30 minutes. And if you don’t have any wine on hand, no problem. This scampi is made without wine.
  • New England American Chop Suey: This is a comforting, classic hug on a plate that makes me remember my Nana fondly with every bite. This is a dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes. It’s the perfect meal to enjoy on a cold winter day. The tomato based sauce is so light because it is made with tomato juice instead of a tomato sauce. The ground beef, green pepper and Worcestershire sauce compliment this macaroni dish perfectly.
  • Green Bean Casserole with Spinach & Sausage: This recipe is the modern day version of the classic holiday green bean casserole with a delicious lemony twist. This is sure to be a show-stopper on any table! These are green beans that pair so amazingly with the savory cream sauce, Italian sausage and spinach that you will be making these babies all year round.
  • Wicked Good Corn Chowder Casserole: This delicious Wicked Good Corn Chowder Casserole with Bacon will deliver on classic corn chowder flavor but in casserole form. This is a great and budget friendly dinner for the whole family. The sweet corn pairs perfectly with the salty bacon. This chowder is so creamy and decadent, yet surprisingly light. You won’t believe this is made with milk instead of cream (and you’ll never miss it).
  • Cajun Shrimp Farfalle & Lemon Cream Sauce: This recipe is cheesy, spicy, smoky perfection. This is a rich pasta with amazing brightness from the lemon juice and lemon zest. Unbelievably, this dinner comes together in only 20 minutes!


How did your Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine turn out? Did you use any substitutions? Let me know in the comments below. As always, thank you and I appreciate you supporting the Spice and Sugar Mama food blog!


Spinach, bacon, tomato, feta fettuccine plated in royal blue bowl with a lemon wedge. In the background is a whole garlic bulb, a ramiken with grated parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes.

Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine

Dominique Collins-Bloomfield
Quick Spinach Bacon Feta Fettuccine is a dinner that combines speed and flavor. It's perfect for a family weeknight dinner and a great option if you're having guests you want to impress. You get delicious saltiness from the bacon and feta. The lemony parmesan sauce adds the perfect amount of citrusy balance. And the spinach and cherry tomatoes deliver great freshness to this recipe.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Pound bacon
  • 1 Pound fettuccine
  • ¼ + ¼ Cup olive oil
  • ¼ Cup butter
  • 5 Cloves garlic
  • 15 Cherry tomatoes
  • Cups chicken broth
  • 1 Cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 + 1 Teaspoon salt
  • ½ + ½ Teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 Ounces spinach
  • 6 Ounces feta cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 385°F. Lay the bacon flat on a baking pan or pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate when done to absorb excess grease. Once cooled, chop the bacon and set aside.
  • Prepare the fettuccine according to package instructions. Once the pasta has been drained, return to the pot and toss with ¼ cup olive oil. This prevents the fettuccine from sticking together. Chop the garlic and slice the cherry tomatoes.
  • Heat a large pan sprayed pan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup olive oil, butter, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Then, add chicken broth, grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Reduce heat to low and stir and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
  • Return the pot of fettuccine to the stovetop and turn the heat on low. Immediately top the pasta with spinach, feta and chopped bacon. Pour the Lemon Parmesan Sauce into the pot. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and uncover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir until everything is fully combined and serve.

Notes

You may substitute fresh garlic for jarred minced garlic. 

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