Tasty Tuesday ~ Classic Carbonara

Classic Carbonara

This is originally from Allrecipes.com and has been altered quite a bit to taste. Since I don't like the saltiness of pancetta I used turkey bacon instead and you could use milk or half-n-half for some of the cream. The recipe below is how I made it, not as it appears on Allrecipes. You could do so much with this by alternating pastas or adding grilled chicken instead of bacon. Either way it's great to make for company as it's an impressive and rich dish!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz penne pasta (I used 3 Cheese Tortellini)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 sweet onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
8 slices turkey bacon or 1/2 lb. sliced pancetta
dash of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make It:
1) Whisk together eggs, cream, and 1 cup of the Parmesan in a bowl. Blend well and set aside.
2) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to the directions. Drain, return to pot (off heat) and cover to keep warm.
3) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and cook the onions, bacon/pancetta, nutmeg, and garlic until onions are soft.
4) Combine the pasta, onion and bacon mixture, salt, and pepper over low heat. Slowly stir in the egg-cream mixture, tossing gently so the eggs don't scramble. (I didn't use all the egg mixture because it would have been too soupy.) Cook until just heated through. Remove from heat and toss with parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.