Pasta Carbonera

I was 16 when we went to England for the summer and an aunt and uncle of mine took us to Italy - Venice and Verona. Somewhere in the Dolomite mountains, I had this disgusting unhealthy and incredibly tasty dish called Pasta Carbonera.


I ran across the recipe for this the other day and decided I had better try and make it. And it's just as yummy as I remember it. And having a better knowledge of calories, it's even more unhealthy. But well worth every tasty bite!



1 pound of spaghetti, cooked al dente

1/2 pound bacon

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh basil or sage leaves, chopped fine.

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste


Cook the spaghetti, draining and setting aside when done.


While the spaghetti cooks, chop bacon into 1/2 inch chunks and cook in a heavy skillet until nicely crispy. As you are waiting for the bacon to cook, mince the onion very finely, chop the sage or basil and peel the garlic. Once the basic is crispy, remove it from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.


Do not dump out the bacon drippings because that's where this recipe gets it flavor. In the pan with the bacon drippings, cook the minced onion, sage or basil, and garlic over medium heat until the onion is soft.


Add the hot pasta and toss well. Crack the two eggs into a small bowl and whisk well. Pour the eggs over the pasta, stirring the pasta quickly so that the eggs coat the pasta as evenly as possible.


Season with salt and pepper to taste.