Super Cheesy Bacon Alfredo Shells in a creamy alfredo sauce, topped with crispy bacon and ready in just 30 minutes!
I like to pretend I’m a hiker. I want to be a hiker, I really do, but the frequency of my hiking adventures tends to be on the lesser side. Occasionally though, I go on a hike and when I do, I absolutely adore it. A few nights ago we hiked up to a waterfall here in Utah called Donut Falls. The weather was perfect, the company was choice, and the sights were perfect.
And I decided that if I were president, my first order of business would be to rename all of the state and national landmarks after pastries.
By the time we got home though, I was famished and this cheesy bacon alfredo pasta was my saving grace. So cheesy. So alfredo-y. So topped with crispy tender salty bacon. The whole dish comes together in 30 minutes or less and the flavor is outstanding!
It just might become an after-hike staple in my house.
Cheesy Bacon Alfredo Shells
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta shells - (medium size)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups half & half - or milk, (I used fat free half and half)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt - to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper - to taste
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese - (or Italian blend)
- 4-6 slices bacon - cooked and chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until mixture clumps up. Slowly whisk in the milk, working out the lumps as you go. Stir in garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add cheese and stir until melted.
- Stir pasta shells into the sauce. Lastly, stir bacon into pasta or sprinkle on top. Serve immediately.
These look sooo delicious! Love all the cheese and shells are so fun to make AND eat 🙂
Now THIS looks like a comfort meal!
My sauce didn’t turn out right for some reason. It was super water and never really thickened up. I think I might have messed up the roux but I dont’ know how. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Megan, Ah that’s a bummer! What kind of milk did you use? Also, were there lumps in the sauce?
I used cornstarch (the recipe needed to be gluten free for us) and I used a little over 1/4 cup of it. I also let it bubble away (while still stirring) for a minute or two before adding the pasta, and it came out the perfect consistency. Hope this helped. 🙂
looks delicious