Spaghetti Carbonara

I love Spaghetti Carbonara. Not only is it made with two of my favorite foods: pasta and bacon. But it's also so easy; the heat of the noodles cooks the eggs and melts the cheese.

But most recipes I've found call for what seems like too many eggs or cream. While I was watching Mad Hungry one day, I noticed that her recipe called for only 3 eggs! I couldn't wait to try it.

So the next time I had nothing for dinner but some bacon and eggs, I pulled out the pasta (which I almost always have on hand) and looked for the recipe. I read the comments first, and decided to add garlic to Lucinda's recipe.

When I went to make it for dinner, though, it seemed like I should add some vegetables, or else I'd have to come up with something else to add to dinner! So I added small tomatoes and some spinach that I had on hand. The first time I made it, I put the spinach into the colander with the tomatoes, which resulted in much more wilted spinach than in the version below. If you like your spinach more wilted, just put it into the colander with the tomatoes.

The first time I made it I used the cheap parmesan that we had in the refrigerator. The second time I used better quality parmesan, and I have to say that it was delicious both ways, but better with the better parmesean.

There wasn't much left over from the first time I made it, so my husband tasted it, and promptly requested that I make it again! I have a feeling I'll be making it a lot more in the future.
You can make it with lots of other shapes of pasta. Hope you enjoy!


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Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 pound bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 bag of spinach (4 cups?)
  

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook the spaghetti. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until just crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Skim off some of the fat. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Put the tomatoes into the colander, and then pour the pasta water over them to drain the pasta. Add to the bacon in the pan, add the spinach, and toss to combine
   
   
2. Whisk together the eggs, cheese, garlic, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour into the pasta, and combine thoroughly. Add salt as desired.
   

Serve immediately with extra grated cheese, if desired.
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Adapted from Mad Hungry, September 2010
Read more at Marthastewart.com: Spaghetti Carbonara - Martha Stewart