Spaghetti with vegetables and crispy bacon that you can prepare ahead of time. Ideal for evenings when you need dinner on the table quickly. This is my Make Ahead Spaghetti recipe — and it freezes well.
This pasta is packed with flavour. The secret is allowing the cooked spaghetti to sit in the pan with the vegetable-rich sauce so it soaks up those juices. Leave it for 30 minutes or refrigerate for a day before reheating — the longer it rests, the more the flavours develop.
I’ve made this dish for years. It’s excellent as a make-ahead meal for busy weeknights and is great for feeding a crowd. I once cooked a batch for 12 people, transported it, and reheated it at my grandfather’s house — everyone loved it, especially with lots of garlic bread.
I recently discovered this also freezes well. I froze individual portions and defrosted one the next day for lunch — it tasted just as good. You can vary the recipe easily: add chicken, chorizo, peas or green peppers. Bacon is a reliable favourite, though.
One useful tip: reserve the pasta cooking water when you drain the spaghetti. When reheating, add a cup or so of that starchy water to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the pasta. If you’re freezing portions, plain water will work fine when reheating.
I hope you enjoy this. If you’re a pasta lover, I’m sure it will become a go-to. Serve with grated parmesan, chopped spring onions and optional sliced chillies.
More Quick Store Cupboard Recipes
This is a great store-cupboard recipe. If you’d like more ideas, try other simple pasta and one-pan meals for quick inspiration.
The Make Ahead Spaghetti Recipe:
Make Ahead Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) dry spaghetti
- 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 mushrooms, sliced
- 12 rashers bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you prefer milder)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 tbsp tomato puree/paste
- 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) red wine
- 1 can chopped tomatoes in juice
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch salt and pepper
To Serve:
- grated parmesan
- chopped spring onions (scallions)
- sliced chillies (optional)
Instructions
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Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet time (for example, cook for 9 minutes if the packet suggests 11). Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water, then rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop the cooking and prevent sticking. Set aside.
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Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms until browned. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl. Heat the remaining oil and cook the bacon until crisp. Add the bacon to the mushrooms and chop the bacon into small pieces with scissors.
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In the same pan (there should be some oil left from the bacon), add the chopped onion and cook over low–medium heat for 5–6 minutes until softened.
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Add the peppers, celery, spring onions, chilli and garlic to the onion and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and crumble in the stock cube.
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Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce (if using), oregano, thyme, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
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After simmering, turn off the heat and stir in the spaghetti and chopped bacon. You can serve immediately, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce needs loosening, or allow the dish to cool, cover and refrigerate to reheat later. When reheating, add about a cup of the reserved pasta water (or plain water if frozen) to loosen the sauce. Leave for 30 minutes up to a day before reheating — flavour improves with time.
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Serve topped with grated parmesan, chopped spring onions and sliced chillies if desired.
Notes
Nutritional information is per serving and is approximate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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