One of our favorite meals to have when we don't have a lot of time is Pasta Carbonara (or pasta with bacon and eggs). You can get this on the table in 30 minutes; it's filling and nutritious, and everyone loves it.
We get three pounds of pastured pork bacon from Tara Firma Farms each month, as part of our pastured/grass-fed meat CSA, so we always have plenty of bacon. We also always have frozen peas in the freezer, whether from the garden or the store, and we naturally we always have extra eggs from the chickens. So this meal uses up things we already have, which is also very handy.
Pasta Carbonara ala Poppy Corners
1 lb. pasta (we prefer thick long noodles for this, like linguine)
1 lb. bacon (preferably pastured), chopped
2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 eggs (as fresh as possible)
1 C parmesan (plus more for serving), shredded
salt and pepper
Get some water heating for pasta.
In a very large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and all the fat has rendered. Do not drain. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the peas, and turn the burner down to simmer. Let that go for a bit.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the parmesan. If you have very large eggs, two will be enough. For smaller eggs, use three. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. When cooked al dente, drain, then add to skillet with pea mixture and toss pasta so that every strand is coated with bacon drippings, garlic, peas, and bacon.
Add a scoop of the hot pasta mixture to the egg mixture, stirring vigorously (you want the eggs to warm up without cooking. This is not pasta with scrambled eggs!). Add a little bit more of the pasta, stirring all the while, until all the pasta is in and mixed.
Serve in large bowls with extra parmesan.
We get three pounds of pastured pork bacon from Tara Firma Farms each month, as part of our pastured/grass-fed meat CSA, so we always have plenty of bacon. We also always have frozen peas in the freezer, whether from the garden or the store, and we naturally we always have extra eggs from the chickens. So this meal uses up things we already have, which is also very handy.
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| whoops - too dark - we're eating around 8 pm these days. Trust me, it's beautiful and extremely tasty. |
1 lb. pasta (we prefer thick long noodles for this, like linguine)
1 lb. bacon (preferably pastured), chopped
2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 eggs (as fresh as possible)
1 C parmesan (plus more for serving), shredded
salt and pepper
Get some water heating for pasta.
In a very large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and all the fat has rendered. Do not drain. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the peas, and turn the burner down to simmer. Let that go for a bit.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the parmesan. If you have very large eggs, two will be enough. For smaller eggs, use three. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. When cooked al dente, drain, then add to skillet with pea mixture and toss pasta so that every strand is coated with bacon drippings, garlic, peas, and bacon.
Add a scoop of the hot pasta mixture to the egg mixture, stirring vigorously (you want the eggs to warm up without cooking. This is not pasta with scrambled eggs!). Add a little bit more of the pasta, stirring all the while, until all the pasta is in and mixed.
Serve in large bowls with extra parmesan.