Fill a large pasta pot or sauce pot 3/4 of the way with water and add enough salt to "salt it like the ocean." Cover and heat on high heat until boiling.
In a large saute pan, skillet or braiser, heat the olive oil and bacon on medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until it starts to turn brown but not crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the leeks to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until cooked through.
Add the cream and cooked bacon to the pan with the leeks. Stir and cook until the cream thickens. Add in the salt, Parmigianno-reggiano, and fresh ground pepper and stir.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pot with boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than what the instructions say on the packaging.
Once the pasta is ready, add one full ladle of pasta water to the sauce (about 1/2 cup) and stir. Strain the pasta and add to the sauce. Cook in the sauce for one minute.
Top with freshly ground pepper and chopped basil and serve.
