creamy spaghetti carbonara

our family tends to like a lot of pasta dishes. pasta is a pantry staple for me, so it is easy to throw together some type of pasta dish. carbonara is one of or favorites. it is the ultimate comfort food! comfort food = creamy. rich. delicious. it is very easy, and quick to make for such an intense, flavorful dish. this is one of the yummiest... i mean, most delicious pasta dishes you will ever eat.
ingredients:
- 1 lb spaghetti -
- 8 slices bacon - chopped thickly
- 1 onion - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 cups half and half -
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese -
- 4 eggs -
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley -
instructions:
- bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite), about 8 - 10 minutes. drain and set aside.
- heat a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. add the bacon and saute until it is crisp. remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on papertowels. reserve about 3 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan, discarding the rest. add in the onion into the bacon fat and cook until onion is translucent. add in the garlic into onions and saute for a couple minutes until fragrant. turn off heat and let the pan cool slightly.
- in a large bowl, whisk together the half and half, parmesan cheese, eggs and parsley (reserving some for garnish). mix well.
- add the drained spaghetti, bacon (reserving some for garnish) and the cream mixture to the slightly cooled onions/garlic in the pan. toss over medium-low heat until the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes. please do not have the pan too hot or the heat too high; you might end up scrambling the eggs. taste and season with salt/pepper, if needed. transfer to a serving bowl and top with reserved fresh parsley and bacon.
i opted to use half and half. feel free to use heavy cream if you like a richer sauce. also, this is traditionally made with pancetta. since bacon cost much less, which i used it instead.
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