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Spring spaghetti carbonara on a plate with bacon and fava beans

Spring Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon

Spring Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon is classic carbonara with whole wheat spaghetti, spring vegetables and bacon. It's the ultimate spring pasta!
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Ingredients

  • 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti uncooked
  • 4 slices center cut bacon
  • 1 medium leek white and light green parts only, halved and sliced thinly into half moons
  • 8 ounces asparagus cut in 1" pieces on the bias
  • 1 cup cooked shelled fava beans (prepared according to my post [How To Cook Fava Beans]), or 1 cup fresh or frozen peas (if frozen thaw slightly)
  • 2 large eggs preferably pastuerized
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat for the pasta.  Add a large pinch of salt and the spaghetti and cook according to package directions, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta water.  You want to add the pasta to the water around the time that the bacon is cooking so that it's done when everything else is.  The pasta must be drained quickly and be piping hot to cook the eggs in the sauce.
  • While the pasta cooks, cook the bacon according to package instructions in a large skillet and place on paper towels when done.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the skillet and discard the rest.
  • Add the leek to the bacon grease in the pan over medium heat and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the asparagus and fava beans and cook 3-4 minutes more until the asparagus is crisp tender.  Remove from heat.
  • Place the eggs in a small bowl and beat lightly until combined, then whisk in the lemon juice, zest and parmesan cheese.
  • Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water a little at a time to temper the eggs, which will help keep them from scrambling in the hot pasta.
  • Add the piping hot pasta to the skillet with the vegetables and add the egg-parmesan mixture while tossing the pasta constantly.  Add more of the pasta water to reach the desired consistency of the sauce.  Once the pasta is well coated, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  • Serve immediately topped with the crumbled bacon and more parmesan if desired.  Enjoy!

Notes

  • Prep time includes 10 extra minutes to prep and cook the fava beans.  If you're using fava beans, it's best to cook them ahead to make things go much faster.  If you choose to use peas instead, add fresh peas to the pasta as it cooks during the last 2-3 minutes or so, or add slightly thawed frozen peas to the skillet with the asparagus.
  • Pancetta may be subbed for the bacon.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 699mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!