Springtime Spaghetti Carbonara
Updated Aug. 12, 2024
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ½pound English peas, shelled (about 1 cup), or ½ cup frozen peas
- 1pound spaghetti
- 4ounces asparagus, sliced diagonally ⅛-inch thick (1 cup)
- 10fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
- 5eggs, whisked, at room temperature
- 2tablespoons whole milk
- ½cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (2 ounces)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
476 calories; 13 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 476 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside. Return the pan with the rendered fat to the stove top for future use.
- Step 2
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the peas into the water and cook them for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a strainer with a slotted spoon or a spider basket. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
- Step 3
While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon fat in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peas and asparagus, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside.
- Step 4
Whisk together the eggs and milk. Have the egg mixture, vegetables and bacon ready to toss with very hot pasta.
- Step 5
Quickly drain the pasta and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Pour the eggs and cheese on top of the pasta, and toss vigorously to coat the strands and gently cook the eggs, forming a creamy sauce. Add the vegetables and bacon, and continue tossing to incorporate them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 6
Portion the spaghetti on plates and ladle any sauce left in the bowl over each serving. Grate additional cheese on top if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
Make sure to temper the eggs with a ladle of pasta water to prevent them from scrambling on the pasta
I followed the recipe to the letter. There is way too much pasta for the amount of vegetables. The egg sauce turned out fine, it was just very, very bland. An entire pound of pasta totally overwhelms the amount of vegetables and the bacon was barely noticeable. I think it's salvagable, I will probably try it again but make those adjustments.
We've made this twice now - the 1st time it was MAGIC - we made it to the letter, but with only 12 oz of pasta w/small eggs. The 2nd time we used the whole lb of pasta, and even though we doubled the asparagus it was way too much. We also had our bowl too hot and the egg cooked too much.
Next time:
- 12oz pasta
- double all the veg
- only mildly heat the bowl it's put in
Worth the effort - I can't describe how perfect it was the first time! Restaurant quality!
This was my first time ever making carbonara & it did not disappoint! I read the comments & listened to a couple of suggestions. I reduced the amount of pasta to 12 oz. I doubled the bacon, peas & asparagus. I also tempered the eggs with some pasta water. I do think I used too much pasta water though as the sauce was a bit thin. Lastly I paired it with the Pan Con Tomate & I used tomatoes from my garden & roasted them. I added a couple spoonfulls of tomatoes to the pasta.
Restaurant-quality standard and after posting on Facebook, my friends were commenting on it appearance and where to access it. Cooking.newyorktimes Y'all! Along with the Newspaper subscription its my one-stop for epicurean delight. Thank you once again, cheers!
I’ve read several comments about how some readers think that there is too much pasta for the vegetables. I made this myself and I think the ratios are fine. I don’t think it’s supposed to be a vegetable pasta. I think it’s supposed to be a spaghetti carbonara with some veggies. So if you would prefer more vegetables, it would be fine to double, but otherwise I would say make it as is.