Pasta Carbonara

Bacon. Parmesan Cheese. Sautéed Onions. Pasta. Dreams do come true. And they come true in this creamy, cheesy, salty pasta dish that just takes minutes to make.

True Carbonara uses pancetta, an Italian, uncured bacon. I rarely have this on hand and don't like to make special trips to the grocery store for one ingredient so I substitute good ol' thick-cut bacon. Feel free to use pancetta if you see it at the store.

This was my mom's recipe and I have done nothing to change it.

Pasta Carbonara

1 lb spaghetti or fettucine
1 lb bacon
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 medium sized onion, diced
1 T butter
1 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP fresh parsley leaves, minced

Bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil and then cook pasta according to package directions, 8-10 minutes, or til al dente. While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in a VERY large skillet (one that is big enough to hold ALL ingredients). Once bacon is cooked, remove it and drain it on paper towels. Discard all of the bacon drippings. In the same pan bacon was cooked in, add olive oil and onions, cooking them til softened, about 5 minutes. Add butter, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add directly to flavored chicken broth. Remove from heat and add the beaten eggs, using tongs to toss the eggs with the hot pasta. The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs and make a thick sauce that coats the pasta. Toss quickly so you don't scramble the eggs. Toss in the Parmesan cheese and toss with the pasta. Add bacon that is chopped and the parsley. Toss again and serve hot.