Within the first few months of relocating to Southern California, I went to dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant in Montecito, CA. I ordered the Pasta Carbonara. From that point forward it became one of my favorite pasta dishes.
One of the things I loved the most about their recipe was that they topped it with pine nuts. While I did not include pine nuts in my recipe since they are so expensive (over $16 a pound where I live), you must try this recipe with pine nuts at least once!
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If you’ve ever wondered what part of the pig Bacon comes from check out the picture below. Surprised?
How to Make Bacon
If you struggle to make bacon perfectly, I’ve put together a short tutorial on How to Make Perfect Bacon – 3 Ways. Check it out! My preferred method is baking it in the oven.
Bacon Grease Tip
And don’t throw away that bacon grease! Bacon is expensive and the grease is great for making Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Cheese, Popcorn and even hash browns. It can keep up to 3 months if properly stored in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
What does better with a great pasta dish than some Cheesy Garlic Bread. This is the best garlic bread you will ever have!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Easy Pasta Carbonara recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Bacon, Water, Garlic Cloves, Pasta, Parmesan Cheese, Eggs, Egg Yolk, Salt and Ground Black Pepper.
How to Make Easy Pasta Carbonara
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until brown and crisp, reserving about 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat.
- In the skillet, sauté garlic about 30 seconds until lightly browned.
- Pour garlic into mixing bowl and add 1 Tbsp of bacon grease. Add eggs, egg yolk, parmesan, and pepper to garlic mixtures and whisk until well combined.
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot (no more than 8 cups).
- Add pasta and salt to boiling water and cook al dente. Drain pasta using a colander reserving pasta water in a bowl. Retain 1 Cup of pasta water and discard the rest. Place pasta in a large empty bowl.
- Slowly pour and whisk 1/2 cup pasta water into egg mixture then slowly pour mixture over pasta while tossing to coat. Add bacon and toss to combine. Salt to taste.
- Let pasta rest, tossing every few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Thin with remaining water if needed.
Easy Pasta Carbonara
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Ingredients
- 10 Slices Bacon
- 8 ½ Cups Water
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 lb Pasta
- 1 ¼ Cups Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until brown and crisp, reserving about 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat.
- In the skillet, sauté garlic about 30 seconds until lightly browned.
- Pour garlic into mixing bowl and add 1 Tbsp of bacon grease. Add eggs, egg yolk, parmesan and pepper to garlic mixtures and whisk until well combined.
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot (no more than 8 cups).
- Add pasta and salt to boiling water and cook al dente. Drain pasta using a colander reserving pasta water in a bowl. Retain 1 Cup of pasta water and discard the rest. Place pasta in large empty bowl.
- Slowly pour and whisk 1/2 Cup pasta water into egg mixture then slowly pour mixture over pasta while tossing to coat. Add bacon and toss to combine. Salt to taste.
- Let pasta rest, tossing every few minutes until sauce has thickened. Thin with remaining water if needed.
This Pasta Carbonara is delicious. The bacon gives it that extra flavor that makes you want to eat more.