Spaghetti Carbonara

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The following recipe was adapted from Damn Delicious

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My hubs requested Spaghetti Carbonara once, early on in our marriage. I had to look it up, because I didn’t know what it was. And it took a few tries, but I finally found a recipe that hasn’t failed me yet. The perfect blend of salty and cheesy, this recipe is also made in under an hour, so it’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. The key is definitely the fresh parmesan cheese and the fresh parsley. Dried parsley just doesn’t do this dish justice.

Cooking Level

Foundational | BEGINNER | Intermediate | Advanced

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karyn Shalda, Cooking to the Point; Damn Delicious

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Spaghetti Carbonara

This cheesy, salty pasta is so satisfying and comes together in about half an hour, so it's perfect for a weeknight meal! Adapted from the Damn Delicious recipe.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

• 8 oz. spaghetti
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 6 slices of bacon
• 4 cloves garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 T fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just crispy. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
3. Using a knife or a garlic press, mince the 4 garlic cloves.
4. Finely chop the parsley.
5. Cook the pasta according to directions. 
6. Before you drain the pasta, carefully dip a measuring cup or glass into the pasta water until you have about 1/2 cup, and set aside. This is very important - don't skip this step!
7. Grate the 1/2 C parmigiano reggiano (plus a little more for topping if you wish), and place in a bowl. Crack the two eggs into the same bowl and beat together with the cheese.
8. In the same pan in which you cooked the bacon, sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, over medium heat. Add the bacon back to the pan.
9. Reduce heat to low. Add the pasta to the large skillet and gently toss with the egg/cheese mixture, working quickly so the eggs don't scramble. I find a pair of tongs works well for this.
10. Add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, tossing with the spaghetti mixture until the pasta is moist but not watery.
11. Top with the 2 T parsley, sprinkle with about 1 t of salt and as much pepper as you like, and toss once more to combine.
12. Serve immediately and enjoy!