A Month-of-Eggs: Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

I know that when you read the ingredients you may not think this dish would be as tasty as it is, but DH’s tongue rating never lies. Although sometimes he doesn't rate as highly as he should (imho), he never over-rates.

Pasta carbonara is another great main dish for lunch or dinner. It could also be a side dish, in a smaller portion, to go with a plain meat like baked chicken or grilled pork chop.

Haven’t tried it for breakfast. Never will. But go for it if bacon and eggs with spaghetti rings your chimes.

Other than the flavor, one thing to love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. I pre-cooked the bacon in the oven and re-heated it at dinner time. I mixed the eggs and cheese and let it sit on the counter to get to room temperature. I put the water on to boil while we did our pre-dinner word game so the pasta cooked in just a few minutes. Assembly was two minutes, top.

There are dozens of variations on the Internet. I read them, got down the basic principles, and then did my own version. Do a search for another, if you don’t like mine. There are many options.

Pasta Carbonara (serves 6)

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup parmesan, shredded

½ cup Asiago, shredded + more to top, if desired

1 tablespoon ground pepper

salt to taste

8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp

box of whole grain pasta

1 tablespoon basil

Whip eggs and egg yolks with a whisk. Add cheeses, pepper, and salt.

Put on pot of salted water to boil for pasta. (My pan has a perforated lid so I can drain the pasta when cooked.) Add pasta when boiling briskly and cook per directions.

Reheat the bacon and crumble into pieces. Set aside.

When pasta is barely al dente, dip out one cup of boiling pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and in the same pot immediately mix the hot pasta with the egg/cheese mixture. Add enough of the pasta water to make a creamy sauce. (You won’t need the whole cup.)

Toss with basil and bacon. Serve immediately! I put extra Asiago on mine.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up   (Surprise in his voice) “This is really good! Let’s have this again.” Oh, we will! There are four more servings to eat as leftovers! But then, down the road, I will make this again. It would be a surprisingly good casual-company dinner.