Fettuccine Carbonara

This is definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes. It tastes light and fresh, yet decadent. There is no cream in this recipe. The creaminess comes from the egg that coats the pasta, and the hot pasta warms the egg and forms a sauce with the parmesan cheese, bacon, and garlic. So delicious! I like to use fettuccine because, well, I love fettuccine, but feel free to use regular ole spaghetti.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fettuccine
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 slices of uncooked bacon, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus a little extra
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions:

Step 1: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.  Add about a tablespoon of salt to the water and then add the fettuccine. While the fettuccine is cooking, move to step 2.  The fettuccine will take 8-9 minutes to cook. Once it is cooked reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, and then drain the pasta.

Step 2: In a deep skillet or a large pot, heat the oil to a medium heat.  Add the bacon and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring often.

Step 3: Pour the drained pasta into the skillet and toss to coat the pasta. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the cup of parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Turn the burner off, then pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Toss everything together so the pasta warms the egg and creates a sauce that coats the fettuccine. To thin out the sauce, stir in some more of the starchy pasta water, a little bit at a time, until the sauce reaches a desired consistency. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Top with some extra grated parmesan and mangia!

While this is happening…

Prepare the rest!