Spaghetti Carbonara

When we were out of town in early January, we had dinner at a friend's house. She made spaghetti carbonara, which I had heard of but had never tried. It was wonderful, and Hubby asked me to make it for him at home.

I asked another friend of mine, who is Italian, if she had a good recipe/method for making carbonara, but she had never made it. So I searched the interwebz. I read a lot of recipes, and combined what I read to make spaghetti carbonara this week.

It was absolutely wonderful and will be making many repeat appearances at our dinner table! The eggs, olive oil, and parmesan cheese combine to make a wonderful sauce. Using turkey bacon makes it a healthier option. Serve with a salad or side of veggies.

And don't forget to visit Carol, our host for Saturday Stirrings.


Spaghetti Carbonara

1 lb spaghetti
olive oil
8 slices of bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat. If you use turkey bacon, you might need to add olive oil. When bacon is halfway done, add onions and saute until translucent. For last minute of cooking, add minced garlic.
3. While spaghetti and bacon are cooking, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl. Before draining spaghetti, add about 1 cup of spaghetti water to eggs to temper. (This will heat up the eggs without causing them to scramble.)
4. When spaghetti has reached desired tenderness (I prefer mine al dente), drain spaghetti and return to pot. Toss with olive oil. Do not return to heat! Immediately, pour beaten eggs over hot spaghetti. Toss quickly to coat spaghetti and allow the heat of the noodles to slightly cook the eggs.
5. Add bacon mixture (you can drain off most of the grease, but I didn't since I used the turkey bacon and there wasn't much grease to begin with) to the spaghetti. Toss to combine.
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, and toss one more time.