Spaghetti Carbonara

This creamy Spaghetti Carbonara has crispy pancetta, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese for a delicious and easy meal!

Say hello to yet another instance where the greatness of eggs shines through. In this case, egg yolks give us the most lusciously delicious pasta sauce. 

I remember having frozen meal carbonara when I was a kid and hating it, but became a total convert once I tried it freshly made.

The thing I’ve discovered about spaghetti carbonara is that it must be enjoyed promptly. All pastas tend to dry out a bit after pulled from the water, but this is especially true of carbonara.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz pancetta diced
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup peas thawed if using frozen
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 oz grated parmigiano regiano cheese (1/2 cup measured)
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• salt
• black pepper

Instructions 

• 1. Start preheating a big pot of salted water for boiling the spaghetti.
• 2. Combine the olive oil and pancetta in a skillet set over medium heat, and cook for 5-8 minutes, until crisp.
• 3. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a paper towel, then add the mushrooms and yellow onion to the skillet. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft.
• 4. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute to briefly warm them, then pour the mushroom mixture into a very large bowl (5 qt). Add the pancetta.
• 5. Cook the spaghetti in the prepared pot according to the time stated on the box, and make sure to save the pasta water after it's done cooking. In the meantime, whisk to combine the eggs and grated cheese in a medium bowl.
• 6. As the pasta cooks, prepare for the following to go very quickly: Drain the pasta and immediately put it into the mushroom bacon peas bowl. Immediately pour in the egg cheese mixture and toss the pasta vigorously. The heat of the pasta will cook the eggs and melt the cheese and form a creamy sauce. Toss in the chopped parsley.
• 7. As the pasta dries out a bit from the heat, add pasta water as necessary. I usually add about 1/2 cup of pasta water to make sure it stays saucy. Once everything is tossed, serve the pasta promptly. Enjoy!