This is our favorite pasta dish. It’s so simple, delicious and comforting. I use to make carbonara the more traditional way, but since it’s suppose to be a frugal dish, made with ingredients one might have on hand, I created this variation to use common ingredients in our home – bacon and beer.
Yield: Serves 4
1 large sweet onion, chopped
8 oz smoked bacon, chopped
3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups sweet grape tomatoes (optional)
1 cup Stout or other Dark Beer
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb spaghetti
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Add chopped bacon to a large skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium low heat, and then add chopped onions. Continue to cook until bacon renders it’s fat and is crisp.
2. While bacon is cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. After bacon is done, add beer and tomatoes to skillet with bacon, it’s fat and the onions. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Wait until tomatoes pop. Add eggs to a large bowl and whisk. Temper the eggs by adding a little of the hot beer mixture at a time to the eggs, whisking constantly until you’ve added all the beer and bacon mixture. Combine this with the pasta and Parmesan. Toss well to coat. The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs and melt the cheese.
