I wanted to cook a quick lunch today because I had bread waiting to be shaped and proofed.
So I did the obvious thing – I rummaged through the fridge to see what I had sitting around and I saw a small pack of bacon, some mushrooms and 3 egg yolks.
That means lunch was a no-brainer. Carbonara!
After I had cooked this, I brought a plate to the LAM, asking him if he was hungry. Now the LAM always has something cold for lunch. Ham sandwich, Cheese and gherkin sandwich, Ham sandwich – you get the idea.
So his first response to my question was that he wasn’t really hungry. And then he saw what I was holding, and not only was he suddenly hungry, he was absolutely famished and proceeded to finish the entire plate of pasta.
Yes, that shows much the man loves linguine carbonara.
Who can blame him? Carbonara is one of the tastiest pasta sauces ever, and it is so easy to make too. This version, which is the one I cook most often, uses raw egg yolks, which are “cooked” by the heat from the freshly cooked pasta, as well as bacon and mushrooms.
I buy eggs from a reputable source and I do not keep my eggs for very long, so I have no problems with eating semi-cooked eggs. Obviously, if you are squeamish, then, well, don’t cook this. 🙂
Here are the instructions on how to cook this dish.
Cook the pasta – I like linguine or penne for this – in salted boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
In a skillet, add the bacon and a little water. This may sound strange but it works. This keeps the fat from splattering all over your cook top. This works because the water renders the fat. See here.
Cook the bacon until crispy.
Add the mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes. Set this aside.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream (See here for my notes on cream.), Parmesan, salt and black pepper. If you prefer more sauce, add more cream. Adjust to suit your taste.
Transfer the pasta into the skillet then add the sauce.
Mix to coat the pasta. The heat from the skillet, bacon, mushrooms and pasta will cook the yolks.
Add the remaining Parmesan and mix until combined. Add more black pepper if required.
NOTE: If your pasta gets too dry, add more cream or some of the pasta water to the sauce.
Serve immediately.
This is a really quick pasta dish, so make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking.
It’s a great recipe – I have been using this recipe for almost 13 years!
😛
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- 250g linguine (or any other pasta), cooked according to the instructions given by the manufacturer, and drained
- 200g streaky bacon, cut 8-10mm thick chunks
- 6 medium shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- olive oil
- 3 egg yolks
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt, to taste
- Cook the pasta – I like linguine or penne for this – in salted boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- In a skillet, add the bacon and a little water. Cook the bacon until crispy.
- Add the mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes. Set this aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream, Parmesan, salt and black pepper.
- Transfer the pasta into the skillet then add the sauce.
- Mix to coat the pasta. The heat from the skillet, bacon, mushrooms and pasta will cook the yolks.
- Add the remaining Parmesan and mix until combined. Add more black pepper if required.
- Serve immediately.
- This is a really quick pasta dish, so make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking.
- If your pasta gets too dry, add more cream or some of the pasta water to the sauce.
Was used to buy canned carbonara sauce for our carbonara spaghetti. With ur recipe I think it can handle it as home cooked carbonara from now on… Tq
Soo Teoh, once you have made it once you will never buy carbonara sauce again!! 🙂
Diana, that looks so, so good! I am famished too just looking at it 😀
Thank you Phong Hong!! 🙂
Hi Diana,
I just cooked this dish for today’s dinner, after seeing your posting on Facebook earlier this morning. It turned out delicious. My only thought is I may not cook the bacon in water again as it takes ages to crisp! Other than that, it is a simple and easy to remember recipe. Love it!
Aivonne that is odd – mine crisp up very fast! HMMM. But I am really glad you liked the dish 🙂
Diana, oh ! looking at this plate of ‘Linguine Carbonara With Bacon And Mushrooms’ …. pls pass me some tissue paper to wipe my saliva ^-^!
We can share, Karen! 🙂
Oh!I like carbonara…i will try this dish for my kids…more recipe pls.:-)
Thank you Merlinda! I shall try my best!
Hi
may i know if i can replace the whisk with the fork?
Hi Meiyi, yes, but beat longer.
Hi,
May I know whether I can replace the heavy cream with Emborg’s cooking cream? Can’t really tell the difference and that was the only one I could find. And this recipe is really a good one. Its detailed compared to other recipes in terms of stating the type of mushroom and cream to use. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Yes you can. It is the same actually 🙂
Hi, may I know what is heavy cream? Is it whipping cream? I tried cooking and it turned out to very ‘sticky’. Any idea what did I do wrong? Thank you!!
Hi there this is because the cheese solidified – this can happen because the dish cooled, usually when you transfer onto a cool plate. You can always add a bit more cream to counter this. For the cream, you can see the following link for the types of cream used : http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/tell-me-why/
What time of cream u use and where to get it? Thanks:)
Hi pls see: http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/tell-me-why/
Hi Diana, I cooked this today!! It taste awesome but somehow my spaghetti became quite dry and it doesn’t look like yours…any idea where did I do wrong?
I think you might need to add a tad more cream and keep the dish as warm as possible until you serve. The cheese in the sauce can harden and dry if it cools too much.
I love your wonderful simple way of cooking up a meal.
Many thanks Jeffrey! 🙂
Saw your posting & decided to try it out! My daughter loves it so such that she ate 3 plates of it! I tweaked it a little by adding a chopped small chili to make it a little spicy as well as frying the mushrooms with some chopped garlic.
3 plates!!! WOW!! Mummy must have been over the moon! Thank you for trying the dish Belinda! 🙂
Hi Diana,
I cooked this for dinner, taste was good but kids find it too dry, how do I make the not so dry version ? Those sell in restaurant are creamy.
Thanks,
Steph
Two things you can bear in mind:
1. Add more cream.
2. Serve the pasta in a bowl that retains heat and serve it immediately. Cheese hardens once it cools which made your sauce dry.
excited to try this at home for husband and little boy 🙂
I hope they liked it! 🙂
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this out. I have been using carbonara sauce from a can all this while. By the way, I like your hot pink kitchen tools. Are they silicone. I have been looking for such a pair of tongs but can’t seem to find them.
Hihi when should I add in oil?
I think the heat was too hot and the egg yolks was really cooked. The sauces like too thick. Should I add in water?
Overall my gals likes it! Thanks for sharing! I always have my reserves when comes to anything that is inside a stainless steel can. 🙂
Hi oil? I don’t think you have to add oil. You can either add more cream or some pasta water to loosen the sauce 🙂
Hi Diana,
Made this last night and it was delish that both my hubby and son were giving me thumbs up all the way till their plates were cleaned. I followed exactly what you instructed but added a bit more cream and about 2 tablespoon of water from the pasta since some reviews said that it’s a bit dry. It turned out very nice, bacon were still crispy and pasta was silky, mmm mmmmm. Thank you.
Very nice! I am so glad the recipe worked out for you 🙂
Hi diana,
Is it possible to replace two whole eggs instead of three yolks? That way, I won’t have to worry what to do abt the three whites. Thanks!