Hungry, but not sure what to make? Don't have a lot of time to prepare? Make this 30 minute pasta carbonara - a no frills, comforting dish, tossed in an eggy sauce with bacon, vegetables, and cheese. In under 30 minutes, you can be slurping up a freshly prepared, home-cooked meal.
Have you ever heard of or made an arm-knitted infinity scarf? I literally spent all day Wednesday trying to make one. First I found this YouTube video, which seemed easy enough to follow. Ha! I was in for a rude awakening. Determined and excited, I rushed to the nearest JoAnn, and while I was only going to make 1 scarf to start, the "25% off entire stock yarn" sign MADE me pile up my cart with skeins of yarn in an assortment of colors (somehow "1 scarf" became one for each member of my family).
As soon as I got home, I quickly changed into my PJs, sat on the couch and got to work. So you're probably wondering how it all went down... Let's just say that the video promised a 30-minute completion time, and I was still "handcuffed" (see below) for hours beyond that...with a product that had the resemblance of a scarf but not one that an owner would be proud to don. Epic fail...
There's only one thing I can do and that is to send out an S.O.S. to Stephanie, a knitting guru in my church small group. I've got plenty of yarn, so I'm sure we'll figure something out.
I had become so engrossed in my project that I lost track of all time. When I finally looked up and realized I needed to get dinner ready, I was angry disappointed that there were no leftovers to repurpose. Although I was tempted to give in to the Hungryman's sparkling eyes pleading we get takeout, I decided to be a "party pooper" (as he's called me on many.many occasions). But to defend myself, I knew there would be something I could easily whip up with the ingredients I already had on hand. This is one of the reasons why I make every effort to keep a well-stocked pantry. Besides, our wallets are looking quite meager from the holidays..
Enter Pasta Carbonara.
Is there anything simpler than this no frills dish with just the right amount of creaminess? I'm a red sauce gal and words like alfredo and béchamel don't really appeal to me. But pasta carbonara, I love. While you can add a splash of cream to make it silkier, I personally don't think it's necessary.
The "trickiest" part about this dish is taking care not to scramble the eggs. When you're ready to add the sauce, turn the burner off and the heat of the noodles as well as the pan will cook the eggs and thicken the sauce.
In less than 30 minutes, we sat down to a comforting, home-cooked meal, and I spent the rest of the evening trying to revive my scarf...it didn't end pretty. Better luck next time!
And if you're looking for more quick and easy pasta recipes, check out this Pad See Ew and other pasta/noodle dishes.
Ingredients
- 4-6 ounces dry whole wheat spaghetti or other long pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 thick slices bacon diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ red bell pepper julienned
- 3 oz. baby portobello mushrooms sliced
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, tender but firm, according to the package directions.
- In the meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add bacon. Saute until browned and slightly crisp, 3-5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Toss garlic into pan and saute for less than a minute, until fragrant. Add red bell peppers and mushrooms and saute until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork to loosen them. Add nutmeg and parmesan, stirring together to prevent lumps.
- Strain pasta, reserving ¼ cup of pasta cooking water for use later. If pan with bacon and vegetables has cooled down, warm it up again and add pasta. Using tongs, toss pasta. Turn off heat (to avoid scrambling the eggs) and, working quickly, add egg mixture to pasta and toss thoroughly. If sauce seems too dry, add one tablespoon of reserved pasta cooking water at a time until you reach desired consistency and toss again. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with grated cheese and coarsely ground pepper.
Nutrition
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
Bahahaha I'm hysterical about your arm yarn project. A prisoner to the yarn! I hope you find a better project to use it all for:) I love that you came up with this dish from your pantry staples - I'm finding it hard not to cave into the takeout monster these days when the sun goes down and I have no dinner plans. I'll keep this one on the back burner for days like that!
EA-The Spicy RD says
i applaud you for you knitting attempts Min! The last time I tried knitting was about 10 years ago. My kids were both very young, and we were living in Northern Virginia in a lovely community near a lake. Someone in the neighborhood started a knitting class, and I joined thinking it would be a good way to meet people, plus find a hobby to relieve me of the stress of looking after two young kids. Well, here I am, 10 years later with 1/2 a scarf to my name. OK-your pasta dish looks amazing. Now THAT I can make 🙂
ellie | fit for the soul says
This cannot have been that easy, unnie! Looks so delicious and for some reason pasta sounds REALLY good for this weekend. *taps chin* And you look so cute in your little stripes, hehe!
Marisa | Marisa Moore Nutrition says
This looks so good, Min! I love pasta carbonara but often find it a bit heavy so your lightened up version is appealing. I have everything except the bell pepper so I might make it tonight! Thanks!
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
Pasta is always my last minute go to dinner (it's in my Italian blood - ha!) and I'm digging your version of carbonara - yum.
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen says
Wow, this is an amazing dinner for just being thrown together with what you had on hand. Sorry about the yarn handcuff situation! I've seen pictures of people making those scarves and I agree, they look so simple.
Min says
Perhaps it is easy, and I'm just incompetent haha. I'm determined to learn and use up all my yarns ;).
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
Did you know that I LOVE knitting? I'll knit with you, and you cook me this carbonara or the pad see ew. I'm not too particular. Deal?? 😛
Min says
Ooh! That sounds super fun!! Have you arm knitted before? And yes, I shall cook you anything you want..teach me my master!! 😉
Sonali- The Foodie Physician says
Carbonara is one Pete's and my favorite dishes, so I make it pretty often. Sometimes we splurge and I go all out with it, but I usually make a lighter version. I really love what you've done with it! Have a great weekend Min!
Min says
This is one of Tim's favorite too!! Good thing cuz it's soo easy to make ;). I saw that you add peas to yours...TIm would kill me if I added it to his bowl #idontunderstand. Hope you have a wonderful weekend too!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
This comes together so quickly and looks delish. Definitely a go-to recipe for busy times!
Min says
Most definitely!! It took much longer to style and take these photos than actually cooking the pasta haha. Life of a food blogger