This post has been refreshed with new photos and a printable recipe version.
Warning: This dish celebrates bold flavors: pungent blue cheese, smoky bacon and its rendered fat, savory onions, aromatic basil, garlic and creamy avocado. If intense aromas put you off, enjoy the photos and skip the rest of the text.
This is essentially a simple blueprint for pure satisfaction.
The equation is straightforward:
Pasta + (crispy bacon + bacon fat and onions + Gorgonzola + avocado + basil + garlic) = pure comfort
The combination is irresistible: perfectly ripe avocado, crisp bacon, onions lightly sautéed in bacon fat, tangy Gorgonzola, garlic and freshly snipped basil tossed with hot al dente pasta and finished with a splash of red wine vinegar. The avocado gently melts into the warm pasta to create a silky, natural sauce.
It’s a big-flavor pasta that requires very little active stove time, which makes it ideal for warm, humid days when you want something impressive with minimal fuss.
If you dislike blue cheese, this might not win you over (unless bacon alone is your deciding factor). But if Gorgonzola makes your mouth water, this is the kind of dish that prompts a hurry-up-and-eat response.
Sidebar: Raising five small children means my day is full of interruptions and noise. Conversations often veer wildly off topic—requests for help are answered with questions about TV characters, outrageous boasts, and random announcements about lost pets—so I appreciate simple recipes that let me get dinner on the table without much drama.
Back to the food: basil is a starring herb here. I planted a lot of basil this season and ended up with a bounty, so I’ve been finding ways to showcase it. A handful of fresh basil leaves adds bright, herbaceous notes that balance the richness of the avocado and blue cheese.
One practical note: avocado browns and softens after it’s cut. This pasta is at its prettiest and freshest the day it’s made. Leftovers still taste great, but the appearance will be less vibrant.
Bacon, Gorgonzola, Avocado and Basil Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 pound small shaped pasta (fusilli, farfalle, penne, wagon wheels, etc.)
- 1 pound bacon, cut into 1/2″ strips
- 2 small cooking onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 very ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves, snipped or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic paste)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt generously and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water if you like a looser sauce, then drain the pasta.
While the pasta cooks, add the bacon strips to a large, heavy skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate with a slotted spoon. Reserve about 2 teaspoons of the rendered bacon fat in the pan and save the rest for another use if desired.
Add the sliced onions to the skillet with a pinch of salt. Sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked onions to a large mixing bowl.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the two avocado halves to slow browning, then roughly chop the avocado and add it to the bowl with the onions. Stir to combine. Add the red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and all but 2 tablespoons each of the crispy bacon, basil and Gorgonzola. Stir gently to mix into a creamy, chunky sauce.
Add the drained pasta to the avocado mixture and toss gently but thoroughly so the warm pasta is coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If needed, stir in a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Serve topped with the reserved basil, bacon and remaining crumbled Gorgonzola. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.
Notes:
- Avocado: Best eaten the day it’s prepared for optimal color and texture; leftovers will taste good but will darken over time.
- Bacon fat: Save any excess rendered bacon fat in a sealed jar in the refrigerator to use for future sautéing—its smoky flavor adds depth to many dishes.
- Cheese: If you prefer a milder blue, substitute a less assertive blue or a sharp crumbly goat cheese, but the classic Gorgonzola delivers the intended flavor profile.
Enjoy this bold, easy pasta that celebrates basil, avocado and blue cheese alongside smoky bacon—simple to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for a quick weeknight feast or a relaxed weekend meal.
Keep growing that basil and keep cooking.