Carbonara with a French Twist

Quick and easy to make Italian classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara (for one serving) in 20 minutes! This recipe has a twist in the type of pasta used and popping flavors from French Made Easy! Like so many recipes on our website, this one could also be made with any of our blends. Italiano Pronto will give it more heat. Mediterranean Magic will add the complexity of cumin and fenugreek. Smokin' Chipotle will give it a spicy kick with a smoky flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Pinches French Made Easy or Any of Our Blends
1/2 Cup pancetta, diced small
1/4 Cup red onion, diced small
1 Egg
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated if possible
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 Cup half & half, milk or a little cream
Fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Here is everything you need. If there is Trader Joe's near by, they sell packages of already diced pancetta. If not, your local meat shop should have it!

Boiling water to cook the pasta is the first step! Bring a pot of water to boil. Add a couple BIG PINCHES of salt. This is crucial to a good pasta, you must cook it in salty water!

Helpful tip: how much pasta to use? Simple, use a bowl and fill it half way with uncooked pasta. That is usually the perfect amount to serve per person. Add a lot of salt to the water once it boils before adding pasta.

Place a pan over medium to high heat. Add the pancetta and a couple twist of your pepper grinder. Pancetta is all about pepper, but American versions seem to lack the pepper flavor of the Italian stuff, so make sure to add a couple big grinds of fresh black pepper.

This recipe is for 1 serving so you only need a little onion. You can use red or white. I had red so that's what I used. Double this recipe for 2 or more servings. Diced the onion and set aside.

Cook the pancetta for about 6-7 minutes until it is slightly golden brown. Add the onion and sauté for another 7 minutes or so. Remove from heat while the pasta is cooking, but keep it in the pan.

Grate about 1/4 cup or more of Parmesan cheese. This will be added to the egg and milk mixture to make the sauce for this dish. Save a little extra to sprinkle on the pasta before serving.

Take the egg, milk, and a couple good pinches of French Made Easy! Mix well. If you are making this for more than one person, use 1-2 eggs for up to 3 servings. If more than 3 people are eating with you, use 2-3 eggs and up the milk to 3/4 of a cup as well as add a pinch more of seasoning.

Add the Parmesan cheese to the egg mixture then set aside while the pasta finishes cooking. By the time the pasta is done, everything else should be ready to go! Remember, this is making dinner in 20 minutes.

This is how the pancetta and onions should look. Not too crispy and overcooked. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan then heat it up.

Toss the pancetta mixture with the past. Let it sauté for about 30-40 seconds, then remove from the heat. The heat from the noodles should be just perfect for cooking the eggs in the sauce.

Add the egg mixture onto the pasta. Toss well, and then serve immediately. Sprinkle a little fresh Parmesan on top before you devour this dish! Enjoy!