Cheater Carbonara

Caroline doesn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen these days. And when dinner time rolls around, she often finds herself cooking with a little helper sitting at, on, or near her feet. Maybe you know the feeling?

Some days you have time for chicken marsala or roasted vegetable lasagna or black bean and chicken chilaquiles. But when things get a little crazy, you have nothing good in the cupboard, old pasta hanging out in the fridge, and kids clamoring to be be fed- you know the type of day we're talking about- you just need something good and fast.

Enter this cheater carbonara. Pasta alla carbonara is an Italian dish from the area of Rome. The original features a silky egg and cheese based topping that's not quite a sauce (like in our Orrechiette Carbonara), but isn't scrambled eggs either. We call this recipe "cheater" carbonara because, while you'll find egg and bacon here, the cooking method is a snap.

Cheater Carbonara

Recipe adapted from Cookie April 2009

Pictures by Caroline

4 eggs

1/2 grated Parmesan

8 slices thick bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cups al-dente cooked pasta

1. salt and pepper, to taste
2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and cheese; set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it is browned, but not yet crispy. Set aside and drain bacon grease. Add onion and cook until softened. Add pasta (if using cold day-old pasta, cook unti lit's just warmed through, about 1 minute). 
4. Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the skillet and reduce heat to low. Stir continuously until the pasta is coated with the eggs and they have begun to solidiy. 
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Top with extra Parmesan cheese.