Spaghetti Carbonara with sausage

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An Italian dish gets a little twist in my version of a classic carbonara. You may say it is not carbonara because of this twist, but, I think your would get some push back on that!

A few years ago Wee Bear  I had dinner at a Hartford, Connecticut Italian restaurant. We were in Hartford to get a last minute Visa for a trip we were making for New Years Eve, to Rio De Janeiro.  The menu offered several dishes that Wee Bear would like, and Wee Bear would have tried them all but, he zeroed in on a pasta carbonara with pancetta and sausage. The pasta, the restaurants variation on the classic carbonara, delivered balance, richness and comfort. Wee Bear looked at me with stars in his eyes and said, you have got to create this dish at home!

Spaghetti Carbonara with sausage

1 lb. spaghetti, penne or bucatini pasta

2 T olive oil

8 ounces thick cut bacon or pancetta

8 ounces ground sausage, Italian or regular

4 garlic cloves minced

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

fresh ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and add the sausage and cook until browned. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute briefly. Add back the bacon.

Bring a large pasta pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water to use in the sauce.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands of the bacon and sausage fat.

Beat the eggs with the Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl, stir well to smooth out lumps.

Remove from heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but, do not scramble. Make sure you do this off heat so the eggs do not scramble. Thin out the sauce a bit with the reserved pasta water. 

Season with freshly ground pepper and taste for salt. 

Serve with crusty bread and a Caesar salad.

Cheers! 

JJ