Bacon Mushroom Carbonara
Bacon Mushroom Carbonara takes seven sinfully delicious ingredients to make one heavenly pasta dish with a silky cheese and egg sauce.
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- cheese grater or zesting stick
- large saucepan
- paring knife
- cutting board
- large skillet
- whisk
- strainer
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (1 teaspoon per 3 cups of water for pasta)
- 8 oz dried thick spaghetti
- 12 oz raw bacon, thick slice
- 8 oz white button mushrooms
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 cup grated asiago cheese (1-2 ounces)
- 2 cup grated parmesan cheese (3-4 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (this is more than you need)
- 1/4 cup reserved bacon fat (this is more than you need)
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients and tools.
Egg and Cheese
- Grate the parmesan and asiago cheeses. Place them in a mixing bowl.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites by cracking open the egg and tossing the yolk back and forth between the two halves of shells allowing the whites to slide off. You can keep the whites for other recipes if you desire.
- Add the egg yolks to the mixing bowl with the cheese. Add the ground pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to make the sauce.
Pasta
- Add water to a large pot for the pasta. Use 1 teaspoon of sea salt for every 3 cups of water. Prepare the pasta to the instructions on the box. Note: I like to break my spaghetti in half, it fits better in the pot and is easier to eat. When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup water and let the past sit in the remaining water until ready.
Bacon and Mushrooms
- While the pasta is cooking, let's also start on the bacon. Cut the bacon into 1-2" strips. Place the strips in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon is done. Stir occasionally. 10-15 minutes.
- While the bacon is cooking, clean the mushrooms either by brushing them clean or rinsing them, depending on your preference. Cut off the very end of the ends, then quarter each mushroom.
- Remove the bacon from the skillet and place it on a paper towel to drain off the excess grease.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of bacon grease. Leave the rest of the grease in the skillet.
- To the skillet with the bacon grease, add the mushrooms. Cook over low heat until the mushrooms are cooked, tender, and browned. Remove them from the grease and place them on a paper towel to drain off the excess grease. 5-6 minutes.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Don't drain the pasta yet.
Sauce and Assemble
- Back to the skillet, which should still be a bit warm. Add the egg cheese mix to the skillet. Slowly pour in 1/2 cups of reserved pasta water while whisking and 1-2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease. Whisk and gently heat over LOW heat. We want the cheese to melt, the sauce to get silky, the eggs to warm.... but we do not want an omelet. 1-2 minutes.
- Once the egg cheese mix is smooth, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the mushrooms and bacon. Mix everything until well combined. Over low heat, continue to stir and warm the pasta through. Stir, stir, stir so the eggs don't curdle. Remove the pasta from the heat.
- Top with additional grated cheese (optional) and serve immediately.