School Night Supper {Spaghetti Carbonara}

Y’all are going to think I’ve been living under a rock but I’ve never made – or eaten – spaghetti carbonara!  True story… Sister was telling me about this “bacon pasta” that our mutual friend made for her kids and how much they loved it.  I was intrigued and looked it up only to find that “bacon pasta” is a real thing that I have been missing out on for the last forty-some-odd years.  Shocking, especially since I have spent all of those years in the South, where bacon dishes reign supreme.

Since making this discovery, this dish has become  a staple on our table.  It adequately feeds my crew, they love it, it comes together quickly, and I bought everything I needed at Costco in bulk quantities so I have it on hand for nights when you forgot to thaw the chicken or didn’t make it to the store as planned.

Spaghetti Carbonara

16 ounces spaghetti
4 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
8 slices bacon, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, if desired

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup water and drain well.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and cheese; set aside.
  • Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.
  • Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
  • Working quickly, stir in pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, about 1/4 of a cup (or less) at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Happy Sunday, y’all!

School Night Suppers  |  Sunday Suppers

DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED

7 thoughts on “School Night Supper {Spaghetti Carbonara}

  1. I’ve eaten it, but never thought to make it. This will be oerfect for tonight’s supper, since I haven’t been to the store and have everything on hand! xo

  2. It is delicious with sautéed shrimp added. I bake my bacon in the oven. Wright’s applewood is our favorite! Yum-o

  3. I made a one pot version of this last week and it too was a hit (bacon and cheesy pasta… where can you go wrong?!?). I used cream cheese instead of eggs and only one of the other cheeses that you mention, depending on what I have on hand. I boil the pasta in chicken low sodium chicken broth (so it truly is one pot/dish prep) and I add a bag of thawed frozen peas to help me feel like I’m adding a nutritional factor. I also use noodles that are made with a serving of veggies… we are half and froze the other half for back up meals in a pinch! Hey… I bet it would be excellent over zoodles!!! Ok, now I’m hungry!!!

  4. This is one of my favorite quick easy meals– and a funny story… sooo a while ago, we went out to dinner at an up & coming restaurant downtown (obviously this was pre-kid) anyhoo as we sat down at our table, we noticed a film crew and then looked over and saw Rachael Ray and her husband having dinner. I am a fan of hers, only because I learned a lot of shortcuts from her and because she had an approachable demeanor, if that makes sense? Anyway… I learned how to make carbonara from her shows/cookbook… apparently it’s how she won over her husband. Coincidentally, I had just made it the night before so I went up to her husband (because she was talking to someone) and I said, “Can you please let her know that her carbonara recipe is our family’s favorite and we made it last night!” and then she came over and gave me a hug and we talked for a minute. The picture I have of us looks like we are old friends, it’s kinda funny. Anyway, we actually wound up on that episode of her show (briefly, just panned over our meal and our group) and then a year later she was in a Mardi Gras parade and one of her producers interviewed me on the parade route and I wound up on her talk show in a clip (briefly, it’s kinda funny)

    So there’s your funny tidbit for the day. haha.

    But seriously, I use Wright brand bacon to make the carbonara… I’m not sure if y’all can get it there, but they make the best thick cut bacon- I cut into lardons and then I use the crushed garlic cubes from trader joes instead of actually chopping garlic. And I go heavy on the flat leaf parsley at the end and I usually serve it with a green salad or arugula, parm, cherry tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette as a side. MMMMM soooooo good.

Leave a Reply to Christi {Jealous Hands} Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *