Pasta Carbonara
We had too much bacon.
I know, I’m as shocked by that statement as you are. But we did.
We didn’t use al the bacon we had for breakfast, so a quick look in the fridge and pantry told me that I had dinner all taken care of. Quick, easy, and SO good…Pasta Carbonara!
Pasta Carbonara
Its’s often billed as “a humble pasta dish from Rome”. Humble. Yeah right. It’s so creamy, indulgent, and just so good. Bonus?! It takes just as long as the noodles take to cook!
Ingredients
1 pound pasta - spaghetti or bucatini are my preferences
4-5 slices of bacon - cut into either short strips or less uniform small pieces
3 cloves of garlic - minced
2 eggs
1 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (if you’re like my Tall Guy, you’ll need even more for serving)
1/2 bunch roughly chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Get Started
Heavily salt “it should taste like the sea!” A pot of water and bring to a boil. When booking, drop the noodles
Brown the bacon in a heavy bottom pot (I like my cast iron skillet) with some olive oil
When bacon is nearly browned, add the garlic & sauté
When the noodles are just shy of al dente “to the tooth” add them in the pan with the bacon and the garlic. Use your tongs to get the noodles, so you can save the pasta water to help finish the sauce.
Mix the eggs and cheese in a bowl, make sure to get the lumps out.
Take the bacon and pasta pan off the heat and mix in the egg & cheese mixture. Be sure to keep tossing the noodles so the eggs cook but don’t scramble.
Add pasta water to thin to your desired creamy consistency. I usually start with a little less than 1/4 C and rarely have to add more.
Add a whole bunch of cracked pepper and toss one more time.
Using tongs, twirl the noodles into a bowl or onto a plate and top with parsley.
if you’re like my Tall Guy, also top with some more Parmigiano-Reggiano!
Variations also include adding sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, peas - really anything!
Pair this with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc (like the one from Hook & Ladder Winery) and enjoy!
Cheers,
Katy