Pasta Carbonara

Makes 2 servings. 20 minute cook time.

Goes great with cheesy garlic bread. Play around with it!

ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta of your choice (classic is spaghetti, but it's delicious with any type!)

  • 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, plus extra for serving

  • 2 eggs (2 yolks, 1 white)

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • ⅓ cup bacon, cooked & diced (or guanciale, or pancetta or whatever you have)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Pepper, freshly cracked, to taste

  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped or shredded, for garnish

preparation

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. Meanwhile, whisk Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, and pepper in a medium bowl.

  3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan (large enough to hold the pasta) and add the bacon (or other cured meat) until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly crispy.

  4. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to instructions. Time it so the pasta is ready at same time as the garlic in the next step. And reserve some of the pasta water!

  5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden on the edges (about 1-2 minutes). Don't overcook it or it will get bitter!

  6. Remove from heat and toss cooked pasta with the bacon & garlic.

  7. Toss pasta, bacon, garlic in egg & cheese mixture (in the egg & cheese mixture bowl so you don't cook the egg!)

  8. If needed, add reserved pasta water 1-2 tbsp at a time, tossing constantly, to adjust consistency (make it creamy, not watery!).

  9. Serve and garnish with parsley + Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste.

This recipe is adapted from... well shoot, I don't know. It's a classic Roman pasta dish... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonara