Spaghetti Carbonara

I've seen both Giada and Rachel Ray make spaghetti carbonara while watching the food network, but before tonight I hadn't actually tasted it.  It always looked so creamy and delicious (and I figured, how can pasta with bacon and parmesan cheese not be great!) so I decided to give it a try.

I used this recipe from allrecipes, and I thought it tasted pretty good.  I have to admit that I prefer pasta with alfredo sauce, but this recipe doesn't have all of the butter and cream that alfredo sauce does (not that this pasta is at all healthy with all of the bacon haha).  This is pretty heavy for the summer, but I will definitely make this again sometime this winter.  PS - Use good parmesan cheese that you grate yourself if you can....it's much better than the pre-grated stuff!

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
8 slices bacon, diced (I used a whole 3/4 lb. package)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used a little over a cup)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for serving
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

1.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside (I timed this so the pasta was ready around when I was ready to mix everything in).

2.  Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine; cook one more minute.

3.  Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Beat the eggs together with the grated parmesan cheese and add this mixture to the pasta and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

4.  Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.