Ricotta Sauce Pasta With Bacon and Mushrooms

This Ricotta Sauce Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms is absolutely one of my favorite pasta dishes! It’s so creamy and flavorful and really could not be an easier dinner.   After just a bit of prep, it comes together so quickly on the stove.

You get the creaminess from the ricotta that is infused with a fantastic garlic backdrop. The mushrooms give a meaty and earthy bite. Then the bacon adds smokey and salty highlights. For a bit of color and texture, I also added Soy beans – or shelled edamame! My family all hate peas, so this was the perfect fresh substitute.

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

• Bacon – I used raw applewood smoked, but any raw bacon you love is good here. The key is rendering the fat out and crisping it up. See FAQs right before the recipe for substitutes.
• White Button Mushrooms, Sliced – You can buy pre-sliced or whole mushrooms. Cremini or baby bella mushrooms would be great too. I don’t recommend canned mushrooms as they will not give the same flavor or texture, but if that’s all you have, make sure that you drain them really well and pat dry and then try to brown them in the pan.
• Cooked Edamame Beans, shelled – You can find these already removed from the shells in the freezer section and sometimes fresh produce section. You can substitute cooked fresh peas or frozen peas.
• Clove garlic – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic. You can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! You can also substitute in dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Half and Half – This helps to thin out the ricotta and make it more saucy. Heavy Cream or any milk will work as well. Even chicken or vegetable stock will work!
• Fresh Ricotta Cheese – I used whole milk ricotta which has the most flavor. However, you can use a lower fat ricotta as well. If you don’t have ricotta, cottage cheese is a good substitute if you can pulse it in a food processor to get a more creamy texture.
• Parmesan Cheese, grated – Parmesan adds more depth, salty, and nutty flavor to the sauce. Shredded is fine too. If you don’t have parmesan cheese, you can substitute with shredded or grated pecorino romano cheeses, manchego cheese, cotija, gruyere, or other hard salty cheese.
• Oregano, dried – Oregano brings the herb flavor. You can substitute with fresh finely chopped, dried marjoram, dried basil, or an Italian seasoning blend.
• Salt – I used kosher salt, but any salt will work.
• Ground Black Pepper – You can use fine or coarse ground black pepper. I like fresh ground, but pre-ground is fine too.
• Uncooked Rigatoni or other short cut pasta – Honestly any pasta will work, but I find that short cut holds up better to this thick sauce than long pastas.

Other Optional Ingredients to Add

As you can imagine, with this pasta dish, there are so many ingredients that you could add. Here are some suggestions:

• Lemon Zest and lemon juice can take this in a bright lemon ricotta pasta direction.
• Fresh Basil is always a great addition to pasta for a burst of freshness.
• Red Pepper Flakes can spice things up! You could also add a pinch of cayenne to the sauce or hot sauce too.
• Shredded or cut cooked Chicken can turn this pasta in a very hearty dinner, especially if you don’t have big edamame lovers and need another source of protein.

Simple Equipment for Ricotta Sauce Pasta

You need a large skillet/frying pan for making the sauce and mixing in the pasta. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.

And mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Prep-Ahead Steps for this Ricotta Sauce Pasta recipe

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)

To prep for this you simply need to dice the bacon. If you need to, mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Also, make sure that your shelled edamame are thawed if needed. I recommend blanching them in hot water to thaw and also loosen any skins that are still on them so they are easy to remove.

Cooking this Ricotta Sauce Pasta Recipe

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook the pasta to al dente. Save a cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, preheat a large skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Add the diced bacon. Separate the pieces into a single layer using a spatula. Let the fat render and the bacon start to crisp – about 10 minutes.

To the bacon, add the mushroom slices and spread out into a single layer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the mushrooms have a nice sear on both sides. Add the edamame beans and garlic to the mushrooms and stir to combine.

Turn the heat to the lowest setting and add the half and half to deglaze the pan and scrape up any of the browned bits. Then add the ricotta cheese, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine the sauce.

Add the pasta to the sauce (or sauce to the pasta) and toss to combine. Add in ¼ of the reserved pasta water to the pasta and toss again. The starchy water helps to give the sauce a nice creamy finish. Transfer to a serving platter or plates and garnish with fresh parsley.

ENJOY! 😍 Carrie

Ricotta Sauce Pasta with Bacon FAQs

Can I replace the edamame?

Of course. The edamame (soy beans) add more protein to this recipe if you are planning to make it the main dish. However, if you want to make it a side or add in chicken or other protein, you can add any veggies you like! Peas are great in this, or diced carrots, zucchini, spinach, kale, broccoli, or sweet peppers.

What to serve with this Pasta?

This pasta is really the star, so you can go very simple with any added protein. I like to add a very simple grilled, seared, or roasted Mediterranean Chicken breast. You can also serve sauteed or grilled shrimp. Or how about these amazing Healthy Meatballs with Zucchini!!

Can I use turkey bacon or pancetta?

Of course, however, you may not get the amount of fat as you would with bacon for cooking the mushrooms. If you use turkey bacon, you are likely to get no fat rendering, so just add in olive oil for the mushrooms. Pancetta will render some fat, but supplement as needed.

Can you make this entirely ahead?

Yes, you can make this entire dish ahead, mix the sauce with the pasta, and then warm up up to 5 days later. To warm it, you may want to add a touch of half and half or milk to loosen it up. Then warm it on the stove in a covered pot on low heat, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t brown. Or you can reheat it in the oven covered at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes or until warmed in the center. Or you can reheat it in the microwave.

Can you freeze it?

You can freeze the entire dish, though it may get mushy upon reheating. Rather, I would freeze just the sauce and after thawing, mixing it with fresh pasta and warming it all up as mentioned above.