Springtime Spaghetti Carbonara

Make sure to temper the eggs with a ladle of pasta water to prevent them from scrambling on the pasta

I followed the recipe to the letter. There is way too much pasta for the amount of vegetables. The egg sauce turned out fine, it was just very, very bland. An entire pound of pasta totally overwhelms the amount of vegetables and the bacon was barely noticeable. I think it's salvagable, I will probably try it again but make those adjustments.

We've made this twice now - the 1st time it was MAGIC - we made it to the letter, but with only 12 oz of pasta w/small eggs. The 2nd time we used the whole lb of pasta, and even though we doubled the asparagus it was way too much. We also had our bowl too hot and the egg cooked too much.

Next time:
- 12oz pasta
- double all the veg
- only mildly heat the bowl it's put in

Worth the effort - I can't describe how perfect it was the first time! Restaurant quality!

It helps to have the "large serving bowl" heated before you dump everything into it. I fill it with hot hot water, which of course I pour out just before the bowl is needed.

I learned classic Carbonara from one of my Italian friends who made it as his Mom used to make it. He used freshly grated nutmeg to spice up the sauce. I think it makes all the difference between bland and something really good.

You would have to use 4 times as much bacon, peas, and asparagus to get it to look like the picture. Given the suggestions below, I would add up it to at least 4 slices of thick bacon, 1 cup frozen peas (which you don't have to blanch first), and 1/2 lb of asparagus. The number of eggs is correct. May also want to save some of the pasta cooking water and add it necesseary.

This is delicious. The note from one reviewer about tempering the eggs to prevent them from scrambling was really helpful. I also prefer this with pancetta instead of bacon and fusilli instead of spaghetti (and I definitely don't use the whole pound of pasta)—makes it easier to distribute the pancetta and veggies.

I agree wth most of the comments so far - too much pasta, use pancetta instead of bacon, temper the eggs, warm the bowl, etc. I'd like to add the following suggestion:

Put the sauce in the bowl first, dump the hot pasta on top of it, then do the tossing and mixing.

I mixed together the eggs, the cheese and a pinch of nutmeg but did not use any milk. I did add a bit of the pasta water to this mix to temper it, as recommended by others. No curdling - hurray! I had some lovely fresh chanterelles, so I added those as well, after sauteing them for a couple of minutes in butter. My grandson was disappointed I hadn't made more. That means it's definitely a keeper.

Definitely half the pasta for the ratio of bacon, egg, and veg in this recipe. Also:
- sautéed half cup white onion in the bacon grease before adding peas and asparagus, which adds depth of flavor
- use pecorino Romano instead of parmasan for a much better complement to the smoky pork flavor
- certainly a good idea to temper egg mixture w water from pasta
- finally pepper: needs a robust amount of fresh black pepper ground to finish and mix well throughout

I’m curious...you used raisins instead of basil, cheddar instead of parmigiana, and only 1 egg. And you were surprised that it tasted strange? Thank you for the laugh!

I used frozen peas and sautéed them directly together with the asparagus - no need to boil them first. I set 7 minutes for the asparagus and put in the peas at the 4-minute mark.

This recipe can turn out delish!! Read the comments before proceeding. Yes, significantly increase the bacon & veggies. Don't you dare cook or boil the veggies! Decrease the pasta by 20%. Save a half cup of pasta water to add back later to thin the sauce as needed. Classic carbonara needs a full cup of cheese (75% parm, 25% pecorino romano) along with a half cup of dry white wine (use Soave). Add a minced shallot to the bacon after the fat is rendered.
Yum!!

I made this per the recipie, very bland but good balance of textures. I’d suggest the following amends; - use fewer eggs (probably half) and only the yolks - more cheese, at least double - lots of black pepper - double the bacon - if using frozen peas, let them sit out and add to the sauté pan, skip the boiling step - season to taste but additional cheese should correct the lack of flavor Essentially, make a classic carbonara and add veggies. Pancetta > bacon

I used proscuitto instead of bacon because we had some on hand. It is not as fatty of a meat so I added some butter to the sauté pan so there would be enough oil to cook the vegetables. I also used less pasta to try to cut down on the carbs and I don't think the proportions of the recipe would have been as good had I used a whole pound. I used two whole eggs and three yolks plus 1/4 cup reserved pasta water for the sauce and to temper the eggs a bit. Sauce ended up nearly perfect.