Classic Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

The other day, I asked Mrs. CB what she would like for dinner and she said “Spaghetti AbbaZabba”.  That’s her term for a recipe that’s become a favorite when we want a change of pace.  This combines several favorite flavors all into this “one dish” meal starting with what is arguably the “superstar” ingredient—bacon.  It takes about a half-hour from start to finish and it can be dinner or even a weekend brunch.

classis spaghetti carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian dish combining the smokiness of bacon with eggs, parmesan cheese and pasta.  You just can’t go wrong with ingredients like that.  And it definitely meets the Cheap Bastid criteria.

I checked out a whole bunch of different recipes for this dish.  The one I’m using here is, quite frankly, an adaptation of Emeril Lagasse’s version of Spaghetti Carbonara because it’s the simplest.  I’ve made a couple of changes (like using 2 eggs rather than 4).  So give it a try and enjoy.

Recipe: Classic Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Summary: Want something quick, easy, cheap and tasty? Try this Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe. And best of all–it’s got bacon!

Ingredients

  • ½ pound bacon, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Up to 1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
  • 2-4 large eggs beaten
  • Salt
  • 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or other parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (or dried if that’s all you’ve got)

spaghetti carbonara ingredientsInstructions

  • Get out your pasta pot and prepare your salted water (about 2 quarts). Put your pasta pot on medium high to high heat and cook the pasta until it’s al dente.
  • Get out a large sauté pan (or I really like using my wok for this) and cook the chopped bacon until crispy over medium heat.
  • Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the oil except for 3 tablespoons.
  • Add the garlic. Season with black pepper. Sauté for about a minute

dump the bacon in

  • Now put the bacon back in the wok and then add the pasta. Sauté for 1 minute.
  • Season the beaten eggs with salt.
  • Turn off the heat and add the eggs. Use tongs and turn, turn, turn the whole mixture to thoroughly incorporate everything. Do not scramble the eggs. The eggs should blend into the pasta and bacon. Keep turning the whole mixture to thoroughly incorporate everything.

spaghetti carbonara add the eggs

  • Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper and then turn, turn, turn some more.
  • Mound into serving bowls or on plates and garnish with parsley.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Culinary tradition: Italian

My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 1 review(s)

This is tasty.  With the bacon combined with egg and pasta, it turns into stick to your ribs comfort food.  We like to have this with a garden salad so that it’s balanced with some fresh veggies and a bit of acid.

spaghetti carbonara just about doneThe Cheap Bastid Test:  A half pound of bacon costs us $1.50 (actually a bit less because I now buy “ends and pieces—Cheap Bastid balks at bacon that’s pushing $4 a pound).  2 eggs are plenty for us in this dish and cost about $.30.  We use about ¾ lb of pasta or $.75 worth and quite frankly, we use a small shaker’s worth of parmesan from the Dollar Store for $1.  Total cost is $3.55 and it makes enough for supper and a lunch.  That means that it’s about $.85 per serving.  Not bad at all.  Add another egg and the whole pound of pasta for another $.50 and it’s dinner for 4.

spaghetti carbonara plated

Now, there are those aficionados who will look askance at Cheap Bastid using dollar store parmesan.  You are free to use whatever grade of this or any other ingredient you want but I’m not up for spending $3 or $4 on this one ingredient, which while important, would mean that I wouldn’t prepare the dish as often if at all.  I can get about 75% of the flavor for about 35% of the price.  I’ll take that trade-off.

And that’s the Cheap Bastid Way:  Eat Good! Eat Cheap! Be Grateful!

About Walter Blevins

My wife started to call me Cheap Bastid a while back because I enjoyed coming up with dinners that cost next to nothing--and making them taste good. Yeah, I love to cook. And I love to cook good food cheap. I'm not a chef and I'm definitely not anything close to a gourmet. I'm just a home cook who grew up in a home where cooking was from scratch and was a little bit Midwest and a little bit country. That's because my Mom was from Michigan and my Dad was from Kentucky. I started sharing recipes when my daughter called me in 2006 and asked for my recipe for Swiss Steak. That year for Christmas I put together a cookbook for my 2 kids called "Dad's Everyday Cookbook and Kitchen Survival Guide". And I heard back that they both use it regularly. It was full of basic recipes that I had cooked for them when they were growing up. I work hard at creating recipes that are original and creative and inexpensive. You won't find a foo-foo foodie approach to my recipes and style. I believe that it's OK for food to go up the side of a plate. Food is for eating--it doesn't have to be pretty. And I write about my cooking and my recipes so that I can share them. I hope you enjoy these posts. Leave me a comment--that you liked something or that you didn't, it doesn't matter. I'd love to hear from you.
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