Easy Pasta Carbonara
It never fails. No matter what food I’m cooking, whenever I fry bacon for a dish, my husband enters the house saying, “Wow that smells great”! I’m convinced that if they invented bacon-scented perfume, lots of ladies would find themselves surrounded by men thinking that they smell delicious!!!
So as I was planning tonight’s menu I decided to make a true Italian favorite, Pasta Carbonara. I thought it would make a nice side dish to the roasted chicken with fresh thyme and rosemary I had already planned to make.
A nice plate of roasted chicken, carbonara, steamed brocolli and pesto tomatoes.
I remember seeing an Italian cooking show that explained that a true carbonara didn’t contain any cream. Instead it uses egg yolk, cheese and bacon fat to achieve its wonderfully silky texture and mouth feel. I know I say this a lot, but some of the very best dishes I make contain just a few high quality ingredients. Keeping things simple nearly always ends up with a delicious dish. Since I did not have any Pancetta or Guanciale in my refrigerator, I simply used a good apple-smoked, thick cut bacon instead. I always have great cheese in the house, so I used Parmigiano-Reggiano as recommended. No surprise that I also used more cheese than the recipe calls for. I married a man who grew up on a diary farm…so cheese rules in our house!
Simple! Eggs, cheese, bacon…that’s it!
It didn’t take long for me to land on a recipe featured on Bon Appetit’s website. Like many of the best Italian pasta sauces, this recipe relies on the starchy pasta water to create a lovely creamy, smooth sauce. Click here for this easy, classic recipe.
If you like pasta, bacon and cheese…you will love this Italian Classic…PASTA CARBONARA.
