What to make when you’re looking for a very quick, no fuss meal, that is both deliciously gourmet but doesn’t require a big grocery shop? Nothing other than Spaghetti Carbonara, of course. Who hasn’t walked into the kitchen, starving, opening cabinets and the fridge asking, “what am I going to eat for dinner?” Well, recently was one of those nights, and spaghetti carbonara was the perfect answer. Filling, easy-to-make, and best of all, combines kitchen staples into something greater than the sum of its parts. The result is simply delightful.

Sometimes all it takes is a little patience and creative thinking to put together the “what to eat” puzzle and come through with the most delectable dinner, without even leaving the kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1/2 box Spaghetti (or angel hair, penne, fusili, whatever looks good in the moment). My favorite is the tried and true Barilla brand which we always have in the kitchen
• 1/2 container Parmesean cheese (it’s good to always keep in the ‘fridge, to throw on salads, pasta, anything, really)
• 3 eggs (again, always in stock. You always need to be prepared to bake a cake, right?)
• Spices, spices, spices. In this recipe, use salt, pepper, oregano, parsley flakes, dried basil leaves, garlic. These often neglected spices are just sitting in the spice aisle waiting for some love – use them!
• 1/2 package of Prosciutto (often we have prosciutto, which has a ‘fridge life unopened of approximately 2-3 months. If you don’t have this, you can use ham or bacon. Use as much or as little as you like – to taste)

Shopping List 

• There is none! Walk into your kitchen

Recipe, or rather, “what to throw together”

The first step, like with any pasta recipe, is to put on a pot of water to boil. If you’re cooking for two, boil approximately 6 cups of water. As a rule, I always add a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt to pasta water before it boils. The oil will help the pasta not stick together and the salt infuses more taste into the cooked pasta.

While the water is heating up (takes about 10 minutes), you have time to make everything else that you’ll need.

First, take out the prosciutto/ham/bacon, whatever, and cut into small pieces on a cutting board. Cut to the size that will go into the pasta, so pretty small.

Then, heat a frying pan (any basic pan). You won’t need any oil or butter for this because the meat has plenty. Wait for the pan to get to medium heat, and drop in the meat. Stir it around a little and keep on medium heat for the next 10 minutes (stirring every few minutes so it doesn’t burn). Your goal is to have the meat be a little browned on the edges, but not dried out.

Next, you can make the claim to fame of a carbonara dish, the egg/cheese sauce.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the approximately 1/2 container Parmesean cheese (nets out to about 1 cup of cheese), along with the three eggs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, as well as the other spices you selected! Mix well together and set aside.

Your pasta water should be boiling by now, so place the dry pasta in the water. This should take about 7-9 minutes (depending on what kind of pasta you use).

By now, you can also return to check on the prosciutto/ham/bacon that’s been cooking. If it’s browned on the edges at this point, you can just put the heat on “simmer” until the pasta is cooked.

When you’ve reached nearly the full cooking time for the pasta, have a taste. I prefer al dente (slight bite to it), and remember, the pasta will still cook even though it’s out of the water. Drain the pasta and now put it into the pan the meat is cooking in. The reason for this is you want to capture all the flavors.

Next, add the Parmesean cheese/egg mixture to the pan that now has the meat and the pasta. Don’t forget to add any additional spices we talked about in the ingredients section! Be generous and always taste test along the way.

It’s now time to plate it (“bowl” it) up and enjoy! Feel free to add a sprinkle of basil flakes to the top to make this meal look extra fancy. You’ll have saved so much time from this quick recipe, that you can enjoy a leisurely meal with a game of backgammon…and fending off your furry friends! 🙂