Cheesy Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon is on our dinner menu tonight! A great way to sneak vegetables in the kids dinner – because anything with bacon, am I right?
This delicious pasta recipe has a light cream sauce with shaved brussels and crispy bacon. Of course we love the classic pasta recipes like this Perfect Baked Ziti or another bacon favorite, Pasta Carbonara. But for a different pasta dish that’s packed with vegetables, this one fits the bill!
Delicious Pasta Recipe with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
I mean, the melty smoked mozzarella definitely helps. But this Cheesy Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon is one of our most favorite pasta recipes! Grab frozen, shaved brussels right from the freezer section in your store to make this recipe a breeze. Add crispy bacon and a light cream sauce and dinner is done!
Not a brussels sprouts fan? No worries, just swap out chopped broccoli, spinach or even frozen peas. Whatever vegetable fits your liking, but do try this recipe with the shaved brussels, even our kids love it.
What Other Type Of Pasta Can I Use For This Recipe?
This rigatoni recipe is really pretty flex. Grab penne, mostaccioli, rotini or any tube shaped pasta you like. The deal with having a tube shaped pasta is that the sauce gets stuck inside the tube so when you bite into it you get a delicious blast of the sauce.
Rotini works too, even though it doesn’t have a tube or hollow inside because the sauce sticks to the ridges and gives you the same effect. Of course you can use regular spaghetti, too, you won’t et that blast of sauce but it’s still going to be amazing.
Can I Use Another Ingredient Besides Bacon?
Something against bacon??? Hopefully not, maybe you’re just out. But yes, this Cheesy Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon does have a few notable substitutions. If you have leftover ham from a holiday, this rigatoni recipe would be delicious with ham!
Crumbled Italian Sausage would also be delicious, or a smoked kielbasa. Maybe you’re a vegetarian? Well I think you may have passed up this recipe already, but if you’re still around just leave the bacon out. Swap the chicken broth with vegetable broth and you’ll be good to go.
Can I Make This Pasta Recipe Ahead Of Time?
Not so much. This recipe is best when it’s first made, although you shouldn’t be afraid of having any leftovers. Once warmed in the microwave, this pasta is still super tasty. The cream sauce will get soaked up into the pasta but that’s ok, the flavor is still there.
Add a splash of chicken broth and/or heavy cream when you go to reheat this recipe to bring the sauce back to life!
Pro Tip: Don’t even tell the little ones that there’s brussels sprouts in here until AFTER they already love it. The shredded brussels sprouts pretty much melt into the mozzarella and the sauce, so they’ll never know about it unless you tell them!
DO tell them though, like I said, after they already love it so they know that yes, they do love brussels sprouts.
Looking For More Pasta Recipes?
- Linguine with Clam Sauce
- Classic Beef Lasagna
- Creamy Penne Vodka Recipe
- Chicken Marsala Baked Ziti
- 15 Minute Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
Cheesy Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis cheesy rigatoni recipe is tossed in a light cream sauce with shaved brussels sprouts and crispy bacon! Grab a bag of frozen brussels sprouts right in your freezer section to make this dinner a breeze!
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 8 strips bacon
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
- 9 ounces frozen shredded brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced
Instructions
- Cook the rigatoni according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet, drain the drippings into a bowl and then add 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings back to the skillet.
- Add the onion and frozen brussels sprouts to the skillet, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir to combine with the ingredients until the flour is no longer visible. Pour in the wine to deglaze the skillet, stir and let the wine reduce until it’s almost evaporated.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce thicken for 3-4 minutes and then pour in the heavy cream.
- Chop the bacon and add it back to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parmesan cheese and then add the cooked rigatoni to the sauce. Toss the rigatoni with the sauce for 3-4 minutes until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce.
- Add the mozzarella cheese to the top of the pasta, cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese has melted. Toss the pasta once more and serve immediately.
- Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and more fresh black pepper if desired.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
