The Iowa Housewife: Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

We all like ham sliced and cold so needed something lighter to serve with it on this nice spring day. This very plain version of Spaghetti Carbonara I had seen on a Chow web site and saved seemed like the thing to fix. The original said that all you needed was a couple of eggs, a pound of spaghetti, a couple cloves of garlic, and olive oil. Scrape off the mold from the Parmesan hidden in the back of the fridge—you'll need that too. It tastes better than it sounds. We were pleased with the taste and the ease of preparation. I did cook the peas separate as not all of us eat peas. The photo does not have the ham in it, but it was good also. When I can get them I buy Frick hams from Missouri. Our local HyVee store has them once in awhile. Very good flavor and I buy the smaller pieces. If you want a good, plain, spaghetti dish this was excellent.

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 pound pasta (I used Angel Hair)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Fresh, grated your self is so much better)
2 large eggs, beaten till light (use a whisk if you have one)

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Five minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the oil to a deep heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and sauté for a few minutes.

Turn off the heat under the skillet. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a half cup of the starchy water. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss with the garlic. Add half of the cheese and toss for 1 minute. Add the eggs and toss for 1 minute. Add the remaining cheese and toss again for about 2 minutes. Then add a bit of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up to the desired consistency (I usually add about 1/4 cup). Serve immediately.

1 comment:

AnonymousJuly 11, 2019 at 1:15 AM
I have never seen Carbonara without cooking and adding the pork/fat, bacon, guanciale, pancetta, etc. Had it for the first time while staying near Naples as a Mother's helper for my Navy stationed sister in law and brother. Never heard of it prior to that, but fell in love with it! Anyway, your version would be perfect for meatless days, especially when we want to use up eggs and crave pasta. It can be tricky to make, but you are making it traditionally when you use the pasta water. It helps makes the sauce creamy, and I have seen the eggs tempered with it on cooking videos. Gives a little reassurance if one is worried about the eggs being 'safe'. (Never bothered me, though).