Spaghetti Carbonara

This recipe started out as a not very authentic Carbonara! Over time I decided to try & make it more traditional & while it probably still isn't 100% authentic it is definitely an improvement. Parmesan has become much more reasonably priced in the last few years & so instead of substituting it for cheddar it's finally where it should be! I also decided to remove the cream as there is none in a traditional Carbonara. The result is a much simpler & even cheaper dish!

 

Serves 4  Approx 38p per person

Prep time 10 minutes  Cooking time 10-12 minutes

Level 🍴

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 300g dried spaghetti
  • 125g smoked bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 60g grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Put the cheese & egg yolks into a large bowl, season with black pepper & mix together. Set this aside & cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile put a large frying pan on medium heat & cook the bacon until golden adding the garlic after about 5 minutes.

Reserve a small cupful of the pasta water & when the spaghetti is cooked remove it from the pan with tongs & add it straight to the bacon & garlic along with a splash of the reserved water. Toss the spaghetti with the bacon.

 

 

 

Remove the pan from the heat & tip the spaghetti & bacon into the egg & cheese mixture. Combine quickly so the egg yolk becomes a sauce.

Serve immediately with a little more cheese & black pepper.

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