Spaghetti alla Carbonara

By - James Peisker

Take your pick, this easy recipe works with any of our pasture-raised bacon varieties. 

This recipe has very few ingredients, so it's more important that ever to use the best quality you can find. Pasture-raised bacon, freshly grated cheese, and locally raised eggs can make this simple dish extraordinary. 

For the purposes of this recipe, we kept it simple to give you the basic guidelines, but you can easily adapt it to suit your tastes.

  1. Add peas, broccoli, or finely chopped kale to sneak in some vegetables.
  2. Extra red pepper flakes add a nice heat.
  3. Get wild and use sausage instead of bacon.
  4. Try a different pasta shape. If you're feeling ambitious, this dish is a great way to show off your fresh pasta skills. 
  5. Top your hot pasta with an egg yolk to make it even more rich.
  6. Experiment with using sheep's milk cheese like Pecorino Romano and Manchego vs. cow's milk cheeses like Grana Padano, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Serves 4

Ingredients 

8 oz Bacon, Chopped 

1 lb Spaghetti, or Other Pasta

1 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1.5 Cups Hard Cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino, Manchego), Grated

3 Eggs, Room Temperature is Ideal

1/4 tsp Black Pepper, Coarsely Ground

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Small Handful of Parsley, Chopped for Garnish

Kosher Salt

Preparation

Step 1

Start salted pasta water in a large pot.

Step 2

In your largest skillet, or rondeau, cook your bacon over medium-high heat. When the fat has rendered and the bacon begins to smell delicious (about 4 minutes), add the onion, garlic, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat down to medium, and let this mixture continue to cook as your pasta boils. 

Step 3

In a medium bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine the eggs and grated cheese. 

Step 4 

When the pasta is done cooking, drain, reserving half a cup of hot pasta water.

Step 5

The bacon and onion should be golden brown by now. Remove from the heat and add the drained pasta to the pan.

Step 6

Here's the only tricky part — you want to warm the eggs and cheese without scrambling the eggs (aka tempering). SLOWLY stream the hot pasta water into the mixture while stirring vigorously. 

Step 7

Stir the pasta continuously while adding the egg and cheese mixture. Salt to taste.

Step 8

Serve hot, topped with parsley, cheese, and freshly ground pepper. 

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