Whenever Greer and I want a fast, easy dinner, we usually go for some sort of pasta dish. Pasta is very versatile, tasty, and quick to throw together. Plus, sometimes you just crave some pasta. Am I right? The other night, we wanted to throw together an easy and satisfying meal and we decided on Pasta Carbonara. This classic pasta dish is creamy, fool-proof, and just so happens to be Greer’s favorite pasta dish. Our Pasta Carbonara is classic and easy to make, but we like making a few changes to really amp up the flavor. Give this Pasta Carbonara recipe a try the next time you get a pasta craving!
Creamy Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients:
1 Lb Linguine Pasta (Preferably fresh. We get our fresh pasta from Bombolini in Richmond and it’s a black pepper linguine. You can usually find fresh pasta in your local grocery store.)
1/2 Lb Pancetta or Bacon (Preferably pancetta.)
3 Eggs (Room temperature)
1 Medium Yellow Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 cup Parmesan
1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp Chili Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Instructions:
Step 1: Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the onion and pancetta, then add to the skillet. Dice garlic cloves and add to the skillet. Cook until pancetta is brown and onions are soft.
Step 2: Heat up a pot of water to cook the pasta. If you have fresh pasta, you’ll only need to cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes. For dried pasta, cook for 7-9 minutes until al dente. Save 1-2 cups of the pasta water once the pasta is done cooking.
Step 3: In a bowl, combine the eggs and parmesan. With the fresh, hot pasta, add the pasta to the bowl with the eggs and cheese. Mix the egg, cheese, and pasta mixture to ensure the eggs cook from the heat of the pasta but don’t curdle. Add pasta water as needed to help cook the eggs and make the pasta creamy.
Step 4: Add the pancetta, onion, garlic, and olive oil mixture to the bowl of pasta. Combine thoroughly.
Step 5: Top the pasta carbonara with the chili pepper flakes (for a little bit of heat), fresh parsley, and salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Step 6: Serve with extra parsley on top and ENJOY!
The big thing with this recipe is the chili flakes and fresh pasta. Fresh pasta is a game changer, so I suggest you try to find some at your local grocery store or make it yourself! Bombolini is a local pasta shop in Richmond that has the best pasta I’ve ever had. If you’re in RVA, give Bombolini a visit. Until then, try this Creamy Pasta Carbonara recipe a try and let me know what you think!
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