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,
- 1 tbsp 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 in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta well, reserving ⅓ 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.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the large skillet. Toss the garlic into the large skillet with the bacon grease.
- Cook 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.
- 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.
- 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.