When I die, bury me in carbonara. Any kind of noodle will do.
This Rigatoni Carbonara with Peas is made exactly the same as my Pappardelle Carbonara recipe, and unlike classic Carbonara, I don’t use heavy cream. Don’t get me wrong, add in that heavy cream if you want, you just really don’t need to.
Carbonara is surprisingly easy, and fast to cook as well. If you can, get your eggs out of the fridge a couple hours ahead of time so they are closer to room temperature. (This helps them to not fry or scramble once they hit the pan).
Boiling the water and frying the bacon takes the most time! Get those both going first, cook your pasta to al dente, and you’re already halfway there.
Always salt your water, and reserve about a cup of the pasta water before you drain the noodles.
Note: I prefer Wright’s thick cut bacon (our store in town didn’t have it- so any thick cut bacon should do) and you only need 3 to 4 pieces.
After the bacon is cooked, remove to a paper towel to quickly drain, then move to a cutting board to roughly chop. Leave the leftover bacon grease in the skillet unless there is way too much, you need about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Add cracked black pepper.
Move the chopped bacon back to the skillet, add your drained noodles, and toss to combine.
Turn the heat off, moving your skillet to an unheated surface. Pour your egg mixture over the noodles, stir quickly and scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure the eggs do not scramble. That’s a carbonara no bueno.
Once the eggs are combined into the noodles (the heat from the pan and pasta will cook the eggs thoroughly without scrambling them) move the pan back to your heated stovetop and pour in the cheeses. It’ll be thick, so use some of that pasta water to help the cheese melt nicely. Add a pinch of salt and bon appetit!
Like I said, the noodle makes no difference... Carbonara is the King of Pasta in my book.
Rigatoni Carbonara
Ingredients:
1 lb. Rigatoni
3-4 slices thick cut bacon (I prefer Wrights)
3 eggs
1 C. Parmesan cheese
1-2 C. cooked peas
Cracked black pepper
Salt
Directions:
1. Put 3 to 4 strips of thick cut back in a skillet. Don’t overcook your bacon. Also boil a large pot of water. Salt the water. Crack and mix 3 eggs in a bowl. Pour 1-2 cups Parmesan and/or pecorino Romano cheese into a separate bowl.
2. Cook your pasta to al dente according to the package, maybe even a minute less. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before you drain.
3. Remove bacon from skillet, to a paper towel first, then to a chopping board. Coarsely chop. Add back to skillet with leftover grease. Remove extra grease if you have an excess of more than a couple tablespoons. Add cracked black pepper.
4. Add your drained noodles to the bacon and grease, stirring well.
5. This is where you work fast. Turn your heat off, move the skillet to an unheated surface, and pour the eggs over over the noodles. Stirring and scraping the bottom so that the eggs do not stick and scramble. Most important part!
6. Once the eggs have formed a perfect bond to the noodles, move the pan back to the heat (off but still very hot) and pour in cheese. Pour pasta water in sparingly to help the cheese melt to the noodles.
7. Transfer to a pour and ENJOY!
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