Pasta Carbonara with Bacon and Peas
Servings 4
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- ½ lb spaghetti, cooked per instructions
- 5-6 slices of bacon, I used pre-cooked so there is less grease
- 1 tsp olive oil, if needed
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 egg, well beaten
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ½ cup of frozen peas, thawed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook per instructions. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/3 cup of the starchy cooking water.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon slices in a large skillet until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the bacon and place it on paper towels to drain. Chop into bits. Toss the garlic into the pan with the bacon grease. Side Note: My pan only had a teaspoon of grease since my bacon was pre-cooked, so I added another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan.
- Sauté garlic for 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon grease/olive oil/garlic. Side Note: The pasta must be hot when adding the egg and Parmesan mixture so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw egg in the sauce.
- Beat the egg and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, stirring quickly until the egg thickens but does not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen).
- Thin the sauce with some reserved pasta water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Finish the dish by adding the peas and bacon bits, then season with freshly cracked black pepper. Season with sea salt if needed, add fresh parsley, and mix well.
- Place into a serving bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy.