# Creamy Cheesy Bacon Pasta

## Description
A quick and comforting pasta dish featuring tender shells coated in a rich, creamy cheese sauce with crispy bacon bits.

## Quick Facts
- Calories: 985 per serving
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 2
- Difficulty: easy
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Health Score: 4/10

## Nutrition Per Serving
- Calories: 985
- Protein: 29g
- Carbohydrates: 81g
- Fat: 58g
- Fiber: 5g
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 1025mg

## Dietary Information
This recipe is: Nut-Free

## Ingredients (2 servings)
- 200 gram pasta shells
- 3 count bacon slices (chopped)
- 0.5 count onion (medium, chopped)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 cup shredded cheese (e.g., mozzarella or a blend)
- 1 tablespoon green onions (chopped, for garnish)

## Instructions
1. Chop 0.5 medium onion into small pieces.
2. Chop 3 slices of bacon into small pieces.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook 200 grams of pasta shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. In a large pan, fry the chopped 3 slices of bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the rendered fat.
5. Add the chopped 0.5 medium onion to the pan with the bacon fat and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Pour in 1 cup of heavy cream into the pan with the sautéed onions.
7. Season the cream sauce with 0.5 teaspoon of salt.
8. Season the cream sauce with 0.25 teaspoon of black pepper.
9. Add the cooked 200 grams of pasta shells to the cream sauce in the pan.
10. Stir in 0.5 cup of shredded cheese until it melts and the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.
11. Add the cooked bacon back into the pasta and stir to combine.
12. Serve immediately, garnished with 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions.

## Allergen Information
Contains: gluten, dairy, pork

## Tags
pasta, creamy, bacon, quick, easy, comfort-food

## Machine-Readable Data

### Recipe Metadata
```json
{
  "id": "e44151d3-52e5-47ea-96d5-4cdee41b4561",
  "youtube_id": "CAoQdPa0d4A",
  "title": "Creamy Cheesy Bacon Pasta",
  "cuisine_type": "Italian-American",
  "meal_type": [
    "dinner",
    "lunch"
  ],
  "difficulty_level": "easy",
  "servings": 2,
  "prep_time_minutes": 5,
  "cook_time_minutes": 15,
  "total_time_minutes": 20,
  "health_score": 4,
  "created_at": "2025-07-13T13:58:11.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-07-13T13:58:11.000Z"
}
```

### Ingredients Data
```json
{
  "servings": 2,
  "ingredients": [
    {
      "name": "pasta shells",
      "amount": 200,
      "unit": "gram",
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "name": "bacon slices",
      "amount": 3,
      "unit": "count",
      "notes": "chopped"
    },
    {
      "name": "onion",
      "amount": 0.5,
      "unit": "count",
      "notes": "medium, chopped"
    },
    {
      "name": "heavy cream",
      "amount": 1,
      "unit": "cup",
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "name": "salt",
      "amount": 0.5,
      "unit": "teaspoon",
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "name": "black pepper",
      "amount": 0.25,
      "unit": "teaspoon",
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "name": "shredded cheese",
      "amount": 0.5,
      "unit": "cup",
      "notes": "e.g., mozzarella or a blend"
    },
    {
      "name": "green onions",
      "amount": 1,
      "unit": "tablespoon",
      "notes": "chopped, for garnish"
    }
  ]
}
```

### Nutrition Data (per serving)
```json
{
  "calories": 985,
  "macros": {
    "protein_g": 29,
    "carbs_g": 81,
    "fat_g": 58,
    "fiber_g": 5,
    "sugar_g": 8,
    "sodium_mg": 1025
  },
  "dietary_tags": {
    "vegan": false,
    "vegetarian": false,
    "gluten_free": false,
    "dairy_free": false,
    "nut_free": true
  }
}
```

---
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