1lbbacondiced raw. Or guanciale pork which is traditionally used!
½cuppeasfrozen bag works great!
½cupasparagus
2garlic clovesminced
4eggsroom temp
½tsppepper
½cupparmigiano reggianofinely shredded and room temp
½cupreserved pasta waterwell salted
14ozspaghettiabout 2/3 of a full pasta bag
1tbspparsleyfreshly chopped
1lemonzest only to top
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Instructions
Meal Prep Instructions - this meal comes together best fresh in one cooking sesh so just have everything on hand ready to make! You will want eggs and parm cheese to be completely room temp before beginning
Meal Assembly Instructions
Make sure eggs and finely shredded cheese are room temp! This helps ensure a creamy, not clumpy texture.
Boil noodles
make sure water is generously salted and cook until al dente! The noodles will continue to cook when you toss with the sauce. Do not rinse under cold water - you want the residual heat of the noodles to help cook the raw egg mixture. The goal is to time the noodles being done right when you are ready to toss with the cooked bacon/veggie mixture so that the noodles don't have to sit long. Be sure to reserve 1/2 of pasta cooking water before draining to help thin out the sauce as necessary.
Combine eggs and cheese
While noodles boil, scramble raw eggs and cheese until very well combined - If you like an extra creamy texture you can use 2 egg yolks only and 2 full eggs to make it more of a yolk-based sauce. Set mixture aside. Once you have your reserved pasta water, put 1-2 tablespoons into the scrambled mixture to help it adjust to a warmer temp which helps minimize a clumpy scrambled texture.
Prep bacon and veggies - you will want everything ready to go as this meal requires seamless timing for the perfect texture:)
Dice raw bacon, chop asparagus into small 1inch bites, mince garlic cloves, chop fresh parsley, zest lemon
Cook bacon
In a large skillet over medium high heat add bacon until slightly crisp. Only drain fat if it's a lot, otherwise I like to keep some of the grease for flavor and creaminess!
Add veggies
Once bacon is slightly crisped, add prepped asparagus, frozen peas, garlic cloves. Toss and cook until just softened, lower heat to very low so bacon doesn't burn.
Add pasta and sauce
This step is crucial to ensure the perfect creamy consistency so make sure you don't have to multitask at this time:) Add al dente pasta noodles to the low heat skillet, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp pepper. Next add scrambled, room temp egg and cheese mixture. Toss it constantly with the noodles until they are well coated and cheese is melted - about 2-4 min. Turn off stove. Add reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired creamy pasta sauce consistency. Serve immediately and top with fresh parsley, lemon zest, additional parm and black pepper - ENJOY!
Notes
This type of sauce is best consumed in one sitting as the egg base doesn't heat up as creamy as a leftover!