Spaghetti Carbonara
I personally believe that there are 2 types of people in this world. The first being people who eat food just to have enough energy for the day, and the second being people who are sexually attracted to pasta. And If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm definitely the latter.
Carbonara is traditionally used with 4 main ingredients:
Eggs/Egg Yolks
Guanciale/Pancetta/Bacon
Parmesan or Pecorino
Pasta (duh) - Spaghetti, Bucatini, or Rigatoni
Guanciale and Pancetta are the more traditional meat options for this dish, but using bacon will deliver just as yummy of results. I also add in a spoonful of ricotta to add with the creaminess of my sauce, this is optional but highly suggested!
The great part of this recipe is that is takes less than 20 minutes to put together once you have everything prepped! So whether you're looking for a quick week night meal, a sexy dish for date night, or fun meal to make for your friends, this recipe will be your new go-to!
Serve with a fresh green salad or roasted veggie - because its all about balance, right?!
Let's Get Started!
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
1 box of spaghetti
5 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
~4oz or 6-8 slices of bacon, guanciale, or pancetta, thinly sliced
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded
1 heaping spoonful of ricotta (optional, but adds to the creaminess)
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Directions
Heat the water in a large pot on high. When water starts to steam, add 3 Tbsp. of salt and wait for the water to boil. Follow cooking instructions on the pasta box.
* Save 1-1.5 cups of the pasta water, you’ll use this for your sauce.
While the water is boiling, chop your guanciale (or preferred meat) into 1/4 inch pieces and finely grate 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
In a dutch oven or large pot, add in the chopped meat with 1 tbsp olive oil and cook until crispy, about 7-10 minutes. O
nce this is done, remove from heat. Keep at least 3tbsp of grease from cooking the meat in the pot. Discard any remaining fat.
Prepare the sauce while you cook the pasta. Add your eggs and egg yolks to a bowl and mix together. Add in shredded parmesan, and an optional (but highly suggested) heaping spoonful of ricotta to help with creaminess, mix thoroughly.
Once your pasta has cooked to your desired texture, drain and add immediately to the pan with your meat. Mix the pasta and meat for 1-2 minutes until evenly covering the pasta with the oil.
The residual heat of the pasta should get everything moving on the pan.
After the pasta has been thoroughly mixed with the meat, slowly add in egg mixture while continuously stirring until evenly covering the pasta.
Keep mixing the pasta for 2-3 minutes, and slowly add in 1/4 cup of pasta water at a time to bring this to a super creamy consistency.
Add in chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately and garnish with shaved parmesan.
