Dr Mobeus
Bacon and Egg Pasta
This is carbonara for the real world. Value smoked bacon instead of pancetta, regular hard cheese instead of pecorino, and it still works brilliantly. The trick is the same as any carbonara – the residual heat from the pasta cooks the eggs into a sauce, not scrambled egg. Take the pan off the heat before you add the egg mixture and toss fast. At 63p per portion this is a proper Italian classic for a fraction of restaurant prices. Value bacon costs about 30p per rasher and crisps up just as well as the expensive stuff when you fry it properly.
Bacon and Egg Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Before draining, save a mugful of the pasta cooking water.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped bacon and fry for 5-6 minutes until crispy. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, most of the grated cheese and plenty of black pepper.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the bacon pan. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the egg mixture over the hot pasta and toss everything together quickly. The residual heat will cook the eggs into a silky sauce - add splashes of the reserved pasta water until you get a glossy, coating consistency.
- Serve immediately with the remaining cheese and more black pepper on top.
Tips and Variations
The pan must be off the heat when you add the eggs or you get scrambled egg pasta. Add the pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is glossy, not claggy. No parmesan? Any strong hard cheese or even mature cheddar works. This does not reheat well so only cook what you need. Add a handful of frozen peas at the bacon stage for extra colour.
