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Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits, from Billy Vasquez aka The 99 Cent Chef

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits, from Billy Vasquez aka The 99 Cent Chef
Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • (one serving)
  • 1/3 package of spaghetti - cook per package directions. I usually shave off a couple of minutes cooking time for pasta al dente.
  • 1/2 package of Bacon Bits - real bacon, not imitation.
  • 1/2 tsp. of black pepper - fresh ground if you have it.
  • 1 egg per serving - for a richer sauce use 2 egg yolks.
  • 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan - I used real parmesan from the jar, but if you have a block in the crisper, all the better.
  • Water for boiling pasta - reserve 1/4 cup of hot pasta water for 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. 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 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. For 2 servings, just double everything - maybe go with a whole package of spaghetti and one whole egg and two egg yolks, for a richer sauce? * If you are wary of raw egg, it's okay to drop a separated whole egg yolk into boiling water for 30 seconds (or longer), When pasta is done and parmesan is added, finish dish by adding one or two poached egg yolks on top.

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