Carbonara Filipino Recipe

Pasta with Bacon and Cream Sauce

The Carbonara Filipino recipe, referred so to distinguish from the authentic Italian kind, is commonly made with a dairy of either cream or milk, and thickened with eggs, cooked with bacon and parmesan cheese.

Alfredo sauce vs. Carbonara, what's the difference?

Both are creamy sauces, but Carbonara has eggs in it.

Though the authentic Italian Carbonara doesn't include dairy, but just olive oil, egg and parmesan cheese and some white wine, I still personally prefer the one made with cream.

The recipe below has a mixture of dairy and egg, making the sauce thick, very rich and easily absorbed by the pasta.

I suggest to mix the pasta and sauce only when ready to eat because it gets too thick and gets stuck together, thus, unappetizing specially if re-heated.

I've seen most Italian cooks suggest reserving some pasta water (where you boiled the pasta) and pouring some on the dish to loosen the dish a bit.


YOUR CARBONARA FILIPINO SHOPPING LIST:

  • Spaghetti noodles
  • Light Cream or Half and Half
  • Bacon
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Parsley(optional)

IN THE PANTRY:

  • Eggs
  • Salt
  • Ground Pepper

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound Spaghetti noodles, cooked per package instruction
  • 1 pound bacon, cut in 1 inch or bite-size pieces
  • 3 cups Light cream or Half-and-half
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese for sauce and 1/2 cup for topping, shredded
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1-2 cups reserved pasta water
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped (optional)

PREPARATION TIME : 5 minutes

COOKING TIME : 15 minutes

1 Beat together the eggs with the cream, set aside.

2 Fry the bacon until golden brown and crispy, then remove the excess oil.

3 Add the cream and egg mixture to the pan and mix continuously until fully incorporated.

4 Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

5 When ready to eat, mix the pasta and sauce together, then top with parmesan cheese and parsley.


BENG'S TIPS

  • If the sauce/pasta mixture becomes too thick, add some reserved pasta water to loosen it up.

  • No bacon? Cut thin slices of pork and boil until soft, season with salt and fry just like bacon.

  • No cream or half-and-half? Use milk instead, but try to use 3-4 eggyolks instead of whole eggs to keep the sauce rich and creamy.

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