Pasta carbonara

 Photo courtesy: HomeMade Simple

Would you believe we'd never had carbonara until last week? We got the idea to whip it up from our Half Assed Kitchen Facebook page when one user put out a call for a great carbonara recipe. She got 30 responses, most detailing easy ways to make this luscious pasta.

As it turns out, the main ingredients of carbonara are bacon, eggs, and cream. So we decided to adapt Cooking Light's recipe. It's probably not the most decadent one out there, but hopefully it strikes the right balance of naughty-good and not-horrendously-unhealthy.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

4 ounces uncooked pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or whatever else your little heart desires)

1/2 cup milk, cream, or half-and-half

3 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh Italian parsley

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Ground, black pepper, to taste (we like to use lots)

4 to 5 strips crumbled bacon

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (just done, but not too mushy). Drain pasta and reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

While pasta is boiling, combine milk, parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set it aside.

In a skillet, fry bacon and remove from pan. Drain out most of bacon fat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low and add milk mixture and pasta to pan.

In a small bowl, beat egg with a whisk and add the 1/4 cup of reserved hot water. This will temper the egg so it won't immediately scramble upon hitting the hot skillet. Stir egg into pasta. Crumble bacon and add to pasta. Cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly until sauce is creamy.

Serve with buttery garlic bread and salad.

For printable version of this recipe, click here.

Comments

[Nina]

I just made the same dish for my food blog as well:
http://www.mommacooks.net/2010/09/spaghetti-carbonara/

[donata]

Ohhh! Heart attack on a plate! I love it, it's so flavorful. But I refuse to make it! My mom-in-law makes a pretty mean version though...

[Meg]

I've never had this before, but it looks good!

[Melissa]

Mmmmmm, pasta carbonara. I make what might qualify as a 1/8-assed version: 1 lb of freshly cooked pasta in a giant bowl, into which you dump 1 cup parm, ~ 1 cup pasta water, fried pancetta (I buy it pre-cubed so I don't even have to crumble it, heh), a whole lot of pepper... then crack an egg over it and stir stir stir.

And then I eat it with brussels sprouts, so it's technically healthy! (Sprouts cooked in the pancetta fat, but still! Healthy!)

[Pretty. Good. Food.]

Simple but delicious! I love it!

[amanda]

as a hopeful domesticate, i cannot wait to make this! thanks for all the great recipes!