Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits - VIDEO

My shortcut spin on this Italian pasta classic will have you digging into a steaming plateful in 10 minutes. And my outre entree will never be taught in culinary colleges -- you can only learn it in The 99 Cent Chef's kitchen of hard knocks!

Watch my 99 cent creative take on Spaghetti alla Carbonara in my latest cooking video for the simple step-by-step directions. It doesn't come cheaper than this, and my new pièce de résistance is outrageous enough to fit into my blog of recipes perfectly!

Typical Carbonara main ingredients are eggs, pasta, black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, and Italian bacon (pancetta or guanciale); kind of like an Italian-style breakfast entree with spaghetti.

I normally use a couple slices of browned and crumbled bacon because it's convenient, and bacon fat enriches any pasta dish. However, those are a lot of calories, and real Bacon Bits are already cooked, so most of the fat is rendered out, thus making my Carbonara lighter.

I've been buying my Bacon Bits, pasta, and eggs at my local 99c Only Stores lately. These budget items come cheaply at most any regular market. I can get 2 servings out of one 2.8 ounce package of Bacon Bits. I've been eying Imitation Bacon Bits but have not had the guts to use them yet - The 99 Cent Chef has standards, too!

This is a rich-tasting dish when you add a raw egg to hot pasta. The trick is to assemble it all in one pan and bring it right to the table before the egg scrambles.

You pour a couple of tablespoons of hot pasta water into the spaghetti with Bacon Bits and finish it all off, add a beaten raw egg, black pepper, and parmesan blend. The egg mixture thickens into a decadent sauce, coating the spaghetti, studded with crunchy bacon pieces. *If you are worried about using raw eggs, I have an alternative method at the end of this post.

This is a versatile dish with many variations. I have added sauteed garlic, red or yellow bell pepper, and onion. Frozen green peas add color and extra flavor -- they thaw out when you add the hot pasta water.

If you have an Italian deli nearby or a well-stocked meat market, you should try Italian pancetta at least once; you only need a couple of slices for this dish. It looks like bacon, but it's dryer, leaner, with flavorful curing spices.

So, check out my latest recipe video and get cooking! It is a simple and delicious dish.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits - Video

Play it here. The video runs 4 minutes 31 seconds.

Ingredients (one serving)  

• 1/3 package of spaghetti - cook per package directions. I usually shave off a couple of minutes of cooking time for pasta al dente.

• 1/2 package of Bacon Bits - real bacon, not imitation. Okay to use a couple slices of cooked bacon.
• 1/2 tsp. of black pepper - fresh ground if you have it. 
• 1 egg per serving - for a richer sauce use 2 egg yokes.
• 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan - I used real parmesan from the jar, but if you have a block of parmesan to shave, all the better.
• Water for boiling pasta - reserve 1/4 cup of hot pasta water for the sauce.

Directions
Bring one pot of water to boil for pasta. In a small bowl, mix one raw egg with 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan, and about one teaspoon of black pepper. Whisk together until well blended. Set aside until final assembly.

Add pasta to boiling and salted water. Cook pasta while preparing the rest of the carbonara -- I usually shave off a couple of minutes of package directions boiling time for pasta al dente.

(If you like real big pieces of bacon, then saute up a couple slices instead of bacon bits. You can drain off the grease, or leave a tablespoon or two for flavor.)

 
In a large pan over low/medium heat add bacon bits to heat through. When spaghetti is done drain (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to bacon bits.

Add 2 tablespoons of hot pasta water to spaghetti and bacon bits.

Finally, pour in the egg and parmesan mixture. Mix well and allow to heat through for about 30 seconds - careful not to make scrambled eggs. The egg mixture will thicken with the addition of hot pasta water.

It is ready to eat with a final tablespoon sprinkle (or more) of grated parmesan per serving. (If you are using freshly shaved parmesan, then add it as a topping when ready to serve.)

For 2 servings, just double everything - maybe go with a whole package of spaghetti and one whole egg and two egg yokes, for a richer sauce?

* If you are wary of raw egg, it's okay to drop a separated whole egg yoke into boiling water for 30 seconds (or longer.) When pasta is done and parmesan is added, finish the dish by adding the poached egg yokes on top.

99 Thanks to my friend Pete for the camerawork. Be sure to check out his outrageous videos by clicking here; and his funny sports blog is just a click away, here.

Click here to view or embed from YouTube.