Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Sweet Pea Carbonara Pasta

I love bacon. I mean, I llllooooooovvve it. My older sweet pea is following in his mommy's footsteps. So in this lightened recipe I use the allure of (turkey) bacon to entice him into eating more peas. Enjoy!

Sweet Pea Pasta Carbonara

8 oz turkey bacon, sliced very thin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1# of pasta (spaghetti or linguine work best)
1/2 shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 t pepper
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 egg whites
1-15 oz can of sweet peas, drained
Parsley to garnish (for us grown ups!)
Extra cheese for topping

In a large pan, cook the bacon until very crisp, adding the garlic at the end to partially cook it. While the bacon and garlic are cooking, cook the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cheese, pepper, milk, egg and egg whites. Whisk until frothy. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it into the pan with the bacon and garlic (this helps pick up all yummy bacon flavor). Take some of the hot pasta and mix into the egg mixture (to bring the eggs up in temperature) before pouring all of the egg mixture into the bacon pan. Mix well over low heat, until the sauce binds to the pasta. Add sweet peas, and fold gently.

Just as a note: This pasta's sauce is lightened, so it isn't that creamy. If you are after a more creamy carbonara, may I suggest this recipe from Epicurious, complete with cream, egg yolks, butter and tons of cheese!

1 comment:

Deep in the Heart said...

So funny. We made this last night. It is one of my ultimate comfort foods. And the kids had it for lunch today.