Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Carbonara is my go-to dinner when I have nothing planned because it's quick and easy to make (it also helps that it's Steven's favorite dish). All five ingredients are staples in my fridge or pantry: bacon, parmesan, eggs, pepper, and spaghetti. Most recipes call for pancetta and Parmigiano Reggiano but I usually just have bacon and parmesan. You must use freshly ground black pepper for this dish because I think the kick you get from it is extremely important and can't be matched with preground pepper. There’s no salt in the actual dish (only in the pasta water) because the bacon and cheese provide enough.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
4 oz bacon, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 C grated parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper, generous amount but to taste
8 oz spaghetti
Heat skillet over medium heat and crisp bacon. After a few minutes I turn the heat down to medium low, it takes a bit longer but it slowly renders out all the fat. I also crisp the bacon in a cast iron skillet so I can season the pan at the same time.
When the bacon is almost done crisping, bring salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta. After the bacon is crisp, drain on paper towels and start cooking the spaghetti.
As the spaghetti cooks, beat eggs, parmesan, and pepper together in a bowl. The sauce must be prepared before the pasta is done cooking.
When the pasta is al dente, quickly drain but reserve some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Immediately return the pasta to the pot (off heat) and pour the egg mixture over the pasta, add the bacon, and quickly stir into the pasta. The residual heat from the pasta and pot will cook the eggs and thicken it into a sauce. Keep stirring until the sauce has thickened and evenly coats the pasta. Work quickly otherwise the eggs will scramble rather than temper into a smooth and creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick add a bit of the pasta water to loosen it. Serve immediately.
Serves 2 (doubles very well).
I'm going to submit this recipe for Ruth's Presto Pasta Night. Check out this week's roundup for more great pasta recipes.
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16 comments:
I like eating my carbonara with the egg yolk put in after it's all done cooking and then you mix it together. But then I like raw eggs.. haha
I love spaghetti alla carbonara - it's delicious and and, in my opinion, totally comfort food. :D
Oh, I'm so hungry now. Have not taken my lunch. This looks so slurpible, so smooth.
Portions too little, not enough for me :D
Hi Miss Tiffie,
I love egg yolks too, an extra egg yolk will be even more luscious. :)
Hi Patricia,
I agree! I always love a hearty bowl of pasta.
Hi Tigerfish,
The photograph is literally a bite of pasta (I swirled some around a fork and put it on a plate). Of course I can never just eat a bite of pasta, especially carbonara, so that portion size is a bit silly in retrospect. ;)
I use regular bacon in mine too for the exact same reason. Also, b/c it's a lot cheaper than pancetta. :P
Sometimes I add kale or collard greens. Just slice the leaves into strips and toss into pasta while it's boiling.
What a beautiful looking version of a truly great carbonara.
Thanks for sharing and taking part in Presto Pasta Night. Hopefully, you'll join in the fun again.
Hi WC,
I use bacon and parmesan because they're cheaper too. I buy the bacon ends and pieces that are always $2.25/lb, no need for strips if I'm just going to chop it up. :) The greens sound like it'd be a nice addition to the pasta. I'll definitely keep it in mind for next time.
Hi Ruth,
Steven and I love pasta so I'm sure I'll be participating more in the future. It's an awesome event. :)
I must admit carbonara is my comfort food of choice (i lived off the stuff at my corner restaurant in milan) ~ and this is my *first* recipe i've cooked from tastespotting since launching tastespotting ~ thanks a TON for posting it ~ it was incredibly good! (and a very nice alternative to those other recipes floating around that call for large amounts of butter and cream!)
I made this, with the Baked Scallops with Creamy Spicy Sauce that recently appeared on taste spotting as well. This turned out as an excellent side and blended perfectly with the sea food. Great/easy dish and I will surely recommend this to friends. ***note to others (use high quality parmesan cheese if you bake this).
~Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Jean,
Welcome! Aww thank you for the kind words, I'm sooo flattered you liked the recipe! I've seen many recipes that call for adding cream or butter and as much as I love those things, I agree that carbonara does not need it. With the bacon, cheese, and generous amount of egg, I think it's rich enough. :) And I love Tastespotting, I think the idea is brilliant and I go there for my daily dose of food porn. :P
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for visiting! I'm so glad you made this and liked it. That is a very good note; the cheese is very important and using a high quality parmesan or parmigiano reggiano makes this dish divine.
Mmm. Just followed your recipe for lunch. I'm a happy girl. Thanks.
Tanya,
Thanks for visiting. I'm so glad you liked the recipe! :)
You can do lots of variations on this dish depending on the ingredients you have at your disposal. For example, if you don't have any cheese around you can use sour cream or heavy cream instead. I've even used a hot dog instead of bacon or pancetta and it turned out great.
Thanks for posting the recipe.
Halil
When I was taught to make Carbonara, the woman teaching the class emphasized getting the spaghetti directly into the egg mixture before it can really drain. That way you don't have to worry about saving some liquid (or getting dry carbonara) since the pasta is still really wet when it is mixed with the egg.
It is great to see the authentic recipe being shared about!
mmmmmmm..... this looks good. My friend cured soem bacon and unloaded 3/4 lb of it on me. Such a prize! I'm thinking carbonara, because it showcases the bacon. Definitely going to eat it tonight. I'm starving!
I think I am going to use a squid ink pasta to offset the color. then blogging here I come!
Thanks.
Troy,
Thank you for reminding me of that great tip. It's something I started doing recently and it definitely streamlines the process more. I need to rephotograph this dish also. :)
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