Spaghetti Bacon Carbonara

The first time I had carbonara, I was in Paris, France. I'm not sure what the name of the noodles they used are, but they were big and fat and a bit curly. It was smothered in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and peas and bits of ham.

The second time I had carbonara, I was in Santorini, Greece. It was made with spaghetti noodles, large chunks of ham and mushrooms. The sauce was delicious but different than what I'd had previously. Instead of a soupier sauce, it was a thicker coating on the noodles.

Both ways were delicious!

The THIRD time I had carbonara, I made it myself! I'm not one to toot my horn too often, but it is so good!!! Doing a bit of research and using bits of each past experience I dare say, I have perfected my recipe to my family's taste.

Carbonara sauce is made with whipped eggs, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. I think you can probably add whatever protein, or not, to it but it seems ham is most common - the saltiness of the meat is a part of what gives carbonara it's distinctive flavor.

Personally, I prefer crispy bacon and I'd love to try it with shrimp! Peas, while not authentic to Italy, are a wonderful addition! I also think asparagus would taste amazing in it.  Do try cooking the pasta this way - it makes them incredibly flavorful and come out a perfect al dente.

Spaghetti Bacon Carbonara
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1lb Spaghetti noodles
5 cups chicken broth
1 lb bacon, chopped
Fresh Mushrooms, chopped/sliced
½ cup heavy cream
1 can peas, drained
2 large eggs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
4 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Chop bacon into pieces and pan fry. Remove bacon and set aside, but do not drain the grease from the pan.

Add mushrooms to bacon grease and saute. Add bacon back in, and set the pan of mushrooms and bacon aside.

Whisk together cream, eggs and Parmesan. Set aside.

Boil 5 cups of chicken stock and add spaghetti noodles and minced garlic.  Cook, stirring often, until the noodles are al dente.

There will be about 1.5 cups of liquid left in the pot once pasta is cooked. Lower temperature to medium without draining the pot.

(If you want a drier coated noodles, feel free to drain the pasta.) If you'd like it a bit creamier, keep the broth and pasta in the pot and SLOWLY add egg mixture while stirring (otherwise you might get a scrambled egg situation going on).

Add in the bacon and mushrooms, the drained can of peas, and the chopped parsley, stirring to combine.

Enjoy!

For even more flavor, sprinkle red pepper flakes over the top to serve.