Cavatappi with Bacon and Summer Vegetables Recipe (2024)

Beautifully colorful, delicious, and easy! I used broccoli instead of zucchini and penne instead of cavatappi. Planning to make it again for a child's party.

Really, really good...I used the veggie rotini instead of cavatappi and added leftover rotisserie chicken. will definitely make this again, and again.

Did not have enough flavor for us. Added crushed red pepper, an extra garlic clove, some more veggies and sauteed shrimp.

Don't rate unless you have made it!

Ah, I assume you're supposed to put the bacon back in, right? The recipe doesn't say to do that but it's there in the picture. Also, how can this be only 248 calories as written? The pasta alone would be 200/serving, and then you have bacon, cheese, corn all which have lots of calories. My recipe site calculated this as closer to 450 (including the salad mentioned in the instructions). Quite delicious, though!

this was very good. I added in fresh baby spinach to up the fiber and I cut back on the parm (not my favorite cheese). I will definitely make this again. I might try it with sausage next time or use Canadian bacon. PS people that have NOT made the recipe please don't rate it! someone gave this a 3 star that had not rated AND was trying to get people to go to a coupon site--probably the only reason they posted something. people rating without making the recipe screw up the actual rating! sorry for the rant, but it is a pet peeve.

This is great. Since I limit carbs to no more than 125g per day, I cut .5 head cauliflower into very small florets in place of the pasta. Steamed until tender-crisp and proceed with the recipe. Very yummy and my blood sugar is still happy!

Love this pasta dish! I made it with linguine tonight, it turned out excellent!

Love the way the bacon flavor permeates everything in this dish! Used 3 slices bacon (not center-cut) and frozen instead of fresh corn. It took longer than 5 min for the tomatoes to burst. Leftovers were good too.

This sounds really good. I'm a fan of anything with bacon. Haha. They have tons of great coupons over at http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/ Its updated constantly and you never know when a coupon will pop up that could be used in this recipe or others!

This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make! A great meal to use up those farmer's market vegetables that you haven't yet used. Healthy, yet still extremely flavorful. I've already passed this recipe on to friends, and it's going to become a definite staple.

I crave this recipe, especially in the summer when tomatoes, corn, zucchini and basil are fresh! We use Applewood Smoked Bacon and it's a must! I drain most of the bacon grease from the pan but leave 1/2 - 1 Tbsp for flavor and then add the olive oil; otherwise I feel it has too much grease.

Easy and very tasty. This recipe was a hit with every member of our family, kids included.

Made this last night. It was excellent! Followed the recipe, but did double it. Wasn't expecting so much flavor. Everyone gave it a thumbs up! I will definitely make this again!

awesome, fresh summer corn off the husk, made this dish outstanding.

Excellent!! Had to use dried basil as I had used all of my fresh. As another reviewer suggested, used additional bacon and think that helps. Hubby loved it - will definitely make again. Such a versatile recipe in that other veggies could be substituted, but the bacon, onion and garlic are absolute musts. I used fusilli and served with a garlic bread and a jicama/orange salad. Great and different meal - thanks for a great recipe.

Really good and super filling. Half a serving was plenty for dinner

I have to admit, I didn't expect it be very flavorful and thought I'd have to doctor it up. The only thing I added was a couple of dashes of low sodium season salt at the end. Delicious!

A simple to make and delicious dish -- my husband and I liked it a lot. I increased the amt. of bacon to 6 slices substituted tiny penne for the (very expensive) cavatappi, and used frozen corn. Otherwise, stayed true to the recipe. We served it with a fruit salad. I highly recommend this for family dinners or company.

This is just so good when summer veggies are at their peak. Definitely a regular rotation for dinner. There is a bit of work involved but once the bacon is cooked and the veggies are chopped it goes together quickly. The whole family loves this one.

This is a keeper. The bacon added so much flavor. This is such an easy dish to make. This dish is wonderful WONDERFUL!

Very easy, fresh and good. Don't be afraid to vary the vegies.

I loved this dish, especially with the side green salad (yummy and easy dressing). I can never find cavatappi, so I used whole wheat rotini instead. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. So fresh and light - perfect for a summer evening. I'm not a huge tomato fan, but these were so delicious in the dish.

This was amazing and had great flavor. I added shredded chicken and red pepper but I think that this would have been great without them. I used a different pasta due to what I had but it was very similar. I will certainly make it again and look forward to it for lunch. (PS- You don't need the extra oil)

This was very tasty and easy to make, I did omit the olive oil because my bacon was a little fatty, but otherwise made as directed.

oh my gosh i wasn't sure if i would actually like this. I was afraid it would be too dry.. this is soo yummy i couldn't stop eating it.. Did it according to the directions only i used a 1/4 tsp of dry basil instead of the fresh as that is what i had in the house.. will def be making it again.. Only thing i will warn about if you have small kids make sure you bust all the tomatoes as they will be very hot inside if they didnt burst..

I made this recipe, using whole wheat penne, and did not add olive oil (I actually poured off about half of the bacon grease before adding the onions and garlic), but otherwise, as posted. I agree with other posters - the photo does not do this recipe justice - it has a lot more flavor than it appears. This is a great use of fresh corn - it really adds a nice flavor and texture.

mmmmm!!! This was surprisingly delicious. Don't be fooled by the simplicity. We loved it! The bacon gives the whole dish a fantastic smoky flavor. We used regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes (all we had), but obviously that didn't make much difference. Definitely would eat this again. A lot.

We liked this a lot, but I made quite a few changes. I doubled the amount of bacon, and used fresh mozzarella on top, rather than the parm (my husband doesn't like parmesan). I thought it reheated OK, but definitely would not eat it as a cold salad. I served it with grilled chicken brests.

This is our favorite summer dish...I've never made it with bacon, just the veggies. My daughter loves it as a main dish, I usually double the recipe and we all enjoy it as a cold salad for a few extra days.

I thought this was good, but not great. I used whole wheat penne and a little more bacon. I think it would be better with more veggies, next time ( and there will be a next time because my husband loved it) I will add broccoli, mushrooms, and maybe some peppers. I think it needs some more flavor. I'll add crushed red pepper, and I don't know what else.

I liked this receipe but i felt it was lacking something! I added muchrooms and it was a nice touch! I also omitted the oil and it was fine. I would add another slice or two of bacon or some chicken to add a bit more flavor next time and some red pepper flakes. Nice for quick, light dinner.

Excellent recipe! Easy to prepare and uses mostly staples from the kitchen.

this receipe is wonderful! i even make it without the pasta and everyone loves it. full of flavor and leaves you wanting more. vegatables never tasted so good. we make it every couple of weeks. we serve it by itself but it would be a good side dish also.

Really good salad. Subbed fresh onion & garlic. Used orcchiette because that's what we had and it worked really well in this salad, think small shells would be great too. Like most everyone else had enough bacon fat in the pan so didn't use any olive oil. Added the bacon bits with the cheese & basil. The recommended salad dressing was nice & light, made with white balsamic & orange/mango juice.

I made this a couple nights ago and it went over very well. I used 12 ounces of cavatappi instead of 8 and used a bit more zucchini, onion, and garlic than the recipe calls for. I also used 6 slices of bacon instead of 4. I misread the recipe so I didn't chop the bacon before I cooked it--the dish still turned out fine, I think. I served this alongside the recommended salad--the dressing had an unusual flavor--sweet and yummy. I served this with baked shrimp sprinkled with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and a bit of ground red pepper. Delicious! Definitely a great use for all my farmers' market vegetables.

This was summery delicious. I used red onion, fresh tomatoes, and threw in a pepper, too. As others have said, no need to add extra oil after rendering the bacon fat. The recipe doesn't mention adding the bacon back to the dish but definitely do so. The fresh cheese and basil made for very interesting and delightful flavors. Will definitely make it again soon. Can't wait to have it leftover!

Despite the fact that the recipe doesn't tell you when to add back in the bacon (I did it last, with the basil and cheese), this recipe is FABULOUS! It goes together easily and the flavors are absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Cooking Light magazine!

I made it with whole wheat rotini instead of the cavatappi. Delish! I loved the contrast of the savory bacon with the sweet corn! I will definitely make this again.

you must make this one! I didn;t read the entire recipe prior to making and thought that it was going to be a cold salad, but it is really a warm pasta main course. we served it with Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burgers (CL JULY 96 also outstanding)anyway. I can't believe the nutritional info for this! as someone said, it doesn't look or taste as boringly healthy as the picture. Don;t bother adding the additional oil. I forgot it and would have never known if I hadn't reread the recipe several times to figure out what to do with the bacon when the dish was complete. --I never did figure out what to do with the bacon so we sprinkled it over the burgers. Both recipes are going into my 5 star make again recipe file.

Delicious! I added some red pepper flakes and shredded chicken. Flavors were fantastic. Definitely saving this one :)

I thought this was a nice pasta for all the summer veggie abundance. The bacon definitely adds a different dimension to it.

I followed this one exactly (more or less) and it was great. Relatively quick and great on a hot summer night. Note the salad dressing included though...it's great and easy. I used a fig infused aged balsalmic and an orange infused EVOO for it, and it was really tasty. No need for Kraft, Neuman, or Hidden Valleys when you can put these in play.

Absolutely delicious! A perfect way to fix summer veggies that really brings out their sweetness. I used uncured, applewood smoked bacon and did not need to add any extra oil other than the rendered bacon fat. Wonderful recipe!

This was easily one of my favorite CL recipes of all time!!! We used 5 pieces of bacon and omitted the basil (I despise it). Easy to make (though next time, I will chop everything in advance), huge serving size, delicious to eat. My husband and I both loved this meal. Served with a simple piece of garlic bread and homemade lemonade. This will become a summer staple in our home. Soooooo good!

Really simple and tasty. Unfortunatley, the picture does this recipe a disservice. It makes it look like it's going to taste really plain and "healthy." The pasta is actually quite delicious, with a caramelized onion and bacon flavor throughout. Made it just as directed, except I chopped my own onion and garlic and sprinkled all the cheese on top of individual servings (instead of adding half of it in earlier -- we've noticed this tends to make it clumpy). Will definitely make this one again. Yum!

This was so quick and easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and the leftovers were wonderful the next day