15 Minute Smoky Spaghetti Carbonara

If you follow my blog regularly, you may have seen this pasta dish last week, hinting that I'd give you the recipe for it this week.

Well, here it is!

I was honored to feature this recipe on the Quad City Moms Blog last week as a guest post.  And since that post, I was asked to join them later today to tape a cooking segment for WQAD and their blog.  I'm beyond nervous, but very excited.  Wish me luck.

Back to this pasta.  I actually have a niece that doesn't like red sauce.  (We are still trying to figure out what is wrong with her...).  So I'm thinking she may like this dish, as there is NO hint of red, just a creamy, salty, yummy sauce.

What's even better is this dish is made in 15 minutes and is very easy.  I'm thinking most kids would enjoy it too - mine did!  And I might mention that it is good cold.  I may have eaten some cold the next day for lunch.  Sorry, I couldn't help it.

15 Minute Smoky Spaghetti Carbonara

1/2 lb. bacon, pancetta or ham (finely cubed)

1 small onion, diced

1 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1/4 c. milk

2 eggs

splash of hot sauce

pepper

fresh parsley

In a large skillet, cook the meat over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate.  Take the skillet off the heat, but do not drain the fat.  Add onions to this skillet and cook until softened.

In a small bowl whisk together cheese, milk, eggs, hot sauce and black pepper, set aside.  Meanwhile in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to directions, drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water (in case you need to thin out the sauce later).

Once the pasta is cooked (but still hot), add all ingredients back into the skillet or hot pot - pasta, meat, onion and small bowl with cheese/egg mixture.  Toss everything together to combine.  The heat from the pasta will thicken into a creamy sauce.  If too thick, add a little of the pasta water.  Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.

And just to entertain you a little more, this past weekend I went to Galena, IL with some girlfriends for a day of shopping and eating.  Lots of shopping and lots of eating.  I'll be sharing more wonderful shots of me later this week in a recap.

We didn't eat at this burger joint but I wanted to.