Penne Carbonara – Quick and easy pasta with eggs and bacon
By Robie Benve
There are many recipes for carbonara, but this original Italian recipe has been in my family for generations.
This is a simple and delicious dish, ready in only 15 minutes. If you like eggs and bacon, you'll love this recipe.
The typical carbonara is usually made with spaghetti, but since when my children have started eating solid food, I converted to penne because they are much easier to grab and much less messy to eat than spaghetti. However, you can use any other kinds of pasta, like linguini, rotini, bow ties, or spaghetti.
In my Italian family, Carbonara has always been the go-to recipe for those occasions when we had not much time to cook, but we were very hungry and in the mood for a satisfying dish.
This is the true original recipe from Italy, and as per tradition it has no veggies in the ingredients. Since I am a big fun of veggies and of complete meals, I often add soluble fibers to the seasoning mix.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 pound Penne
- 4 Eggs, whole
- 8 Slices of smoked bacon, diced
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 4 tbsp Heavy cream, optional
Pasta recipe resources
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Instructions
- Bring 12 cups (3 liters) of water to a boil, then salt with 1 tbsp of salt. Cook the penne in the boiling water, according to cooking time on the package.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Foe a creamier sauce add the heavy cream as well (optional).
- Dice the bacon. Cook the bacon in a pan with 4 tablespoons of water on medium heat, for about 10 minutes, or until it gets a golden color.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it using a colander, and immediately pour the drained pasta back in the same hot pot it came from. (Tip: To keep the sauce creamier, keep bout 1/3 of a cup the pasta's cooking water.)
- Keep the pot on the medium heat stove for 1-2 minutes. While stirring, add the bacon with all its cooking juices and the egg mix. Keep stirring for a couple of minutes, this will allow the egg cream to cook.
- Serve hot. You may add some grated Parmesan cheese on top of each plate. Enjoy! :)
VengefulArt, you are right, breakfast pasta could be its middle name. :) I never tried with turkey bacon, but I'm pretty sure it would be delicious as well.
Arlene, no worries! Hope you enjoy it when nobody is watching or just the same in front of a crowd. Buon appetito! :)
This sounds like breakfast pasta! i love it! Do you think it wiuld work the same with turkey bacon?
Auugggggghhhhhhhh! You're killing me with those calories, Robie, but I will give it a try when no one's watching me eat over the stove.
Arlene, I'm sure you'll love it! Though it's not the optimal light-snack to eat after midnight! ;) Since you are at it, you may even add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream and make it even more delicious! Or, to stick with things we all have in the kitchen, 2 tbsp of milk can be a good alternative.
Thanks for the great feedback! Ciao
Oh, YUM. Something so easy and delicious with ingredients that are already in my kitchen. I can see myself making this dish when I'm all alone around midnight. This is my time--when everyone is asleep. Thank you for this Hub! Voted up and everything else. Bookmarked!
Angie 2 months ago
I tried this recipe today and my family loved it, children asked for seconds and thirds! it's a keeper!