Spaghetti Alla Carbonara $3.05

PEAS- vitamin K,C,B1,B6,B3, dietary fiber, folate, protein, iron and zinc
EGGS- Protein, vitamin A and E, selenium
BACON- protein, iron


There isnt a time I make this, that my son doesnt say "yeah, I love this pasta". Ive been eating carbonara since I was little, Ive seen it served in Italy, and on many menues in America. It might simply be one of the easiest dishes to make, yet complex taste and texture. Bacon could be the culprit behind the unique taste and texture, and coincidentally, although this dish has been around forever, bacon is making a huge splash right now in the culinary field. Everything from bacon wrapped dates(tried them) to bacon chocolate bark, bacon is HOT!!! So before we get funky on this blog, lets start with the basics and make the classic Italian carbonara dish. I probably make this dish slightly different everytime I make it. Whether I use panchetta, bacon, turkey bacon, whole eggs, egg whites, and whether i throw in vegetables, the dish is always easy and good. This time around I am going to use bacon(non turkey) whole eggs and Im going to include peas to give the dish added flavor, nutrients, color and texture. Since I always change up the recipe, Im going to use Tyler Florences recipe from the Food Network.
ingredients
1 lb linguine or spaghetti $1.79
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil .30
4 ounces(slices) bacon cubed.30(bacon on sale 2 packages for $5.00 at walgreens)
1 tablespoon garlic powder .10
2 large eggs .16
1/2 cup parm cheese .40
pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried parsley
red pepper flakes optional

prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti willbe hot and ready when the sauce is finished,it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
cook pasta according to instruction and serve 1/2 cup of starchy water after draining
meanwhile, heat skillet, add olive oil on medium, toss in cubed bacon, and cook for 5 minutes
toss in pasta to skillet, and toss bacon and peas into the pasta
in a seperate bowl, combine egg and parm cheese and whisk well together
add peas and garlic powder, cook another 5-10 minutes until bacon is crisp
Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg/cheese mixture and toss with the pasta vigorously for about 2 minutes, until eggs thicken but dont scramble.
season with black pepper