The finest potatoes you’ll ever make are these loaded ones with bacon, Cheddar, and ranch. This meal is simple to put together and serves a large number of people. I brought it to a potluck, and the pan literally was licked clean when I got home! People were returning for second and third helpings and were disappointed when everything was consumed. You simply can’t put the potatoes down once you start eating them. They pair well with pork, beef, or chicken. For a family of four, cut the recipe in half.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package thick-cut bacon
- 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese blend
- 3 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Chop into small pieces when cool enough to handle.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and olive oil; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large, deep skillet over low heat. Add chopped bacon, garlic, and 1 teaspoon pepper; sauté until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium, add chicken, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add whipping cream, Parmesan-Romano cheese, and remaining 2 teaspoons pepper to the skillet. Stir and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add Colby-Jack cheese and stir until melted. Stir in beaten eggs and bring to a simmer. Add drained pasta and stir until coated with sauce.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 808 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 235 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 27 g |
| Sodium | 736 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 56 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This was SO GOOD! We made it two weeks ago and we are making it again this week because of how much we loved it.
This is recipe is great. But, I have to admit, I forgot the egg part. I’m not sure what that is supposed to add, but this is great as is! Very easy. I used the air fryer for my bacon. It seems less greasy than trying to take the grease off with paper towels. Either way, this is great. I didn’t use all of the pepper either btw.
It was really good. I used a half pack of bacon and omitted the oil and butter and it was still very rich. I couldn’t imagine how rich and greasy it would be if I followed the recipe. I added some peas for color as shown in the picture.
I added peas for a pop of color. Delicious! This one is a keeper. Taking leftovers for lunch. 🙂
Great recipe! I no longer fear the carbonara! Only made a couple changes. Used three cheese mix I had in the fridge parm/regg/Asiago. And added 2 cups of frozen green peas at the same time as adding the cheese. My hubby loves carbonara with peas in it. I love it that way now too! Kicked it up a notch at serving time with fresh grated nutmeg on top! This has become a regular in our weekly dinner plan now! Thank you!
This was a really good dish but needed a few small modifications to be a winner. Less pepper was the big one, maybe personal taste but that’s a lot of pepper for any dish and thankful I cut it back. I also didn’t put the full amount of garlic in because we wanted to taste the other flavors and was afraid it would over power the dish. With those changes it was a big hit here and the kids asked for it again. It made a ton and was very rich.
easy to make & delicious!! Will make it again & again
This is an excellent dish. My husband really likes it. Served with a salad and glass of wine.
It was a great recipe. I added a little extra salt, which made it perfect.
I added a dash of blackened seasoning on each serving.
AWESOME!!! total family fave
Amazing!! Made it tonight and everyone in my house loved it! I used less pepper per the suggestions. Just seasoned to taste. We did decide next time I would add peas though. Phenomenal!!!
overall it was a dish i will make again. the only change i made I only used one egg not three. i used small penne noodles and bacon bits . everyone enjoyed it and i made copies of the recipe for others to enjoy.
It was a delicious recipe. I changed up the seasonings a small bit simply by adding Italian seasonings. Will reccomend it and definitely make it again!
I doubled the bacon and also added shrimp. It was amazing and very easy!
I made this recipe, with just a couple of time savers thrown in. Instead of chicken, I used cooked frozen shrimp (could also use Perdue Short Cuts), and instead of cooking bacon, I used Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits. Tasted great! My family loved it!
This was so good. Very rich and tasty. Perfect for a cold New England night. One of the other reviewers was right, way too much black pepper called for. I basically just eye balled it. But everything else was 100% spot on. My family described it as “restaurant quality”. Thanks for an awesome recipe. A definite keeper.
Looks like a good recipe, easy and delcious. Just one question, where are the other two cheeses in the recipe? the title says four cheeses
I would us 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon max, (and I like spice, but Black pepper can be bitter)
Delicious! FYI that it was a little peppery for one of my kids (not for me, though), so if you are serving this to little ones you might want to reduce the pepper. I also think it would be a great keto meal if served with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.