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Fall Herb Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto

Carbonara is one of my husband’s favorites, and naturally, it’s become one of mine, too. What’s not to love? It’s quick to make (about 30 minutes total), simple, and creamy. It begins with bacon, and ends with cheesy goodness. With all of my fall herbs ready and in need of being used, I decided to give this recipe a little seasonal love. And since I crave prosciutto often, I figured a little crispy, salty prosciutto would be the perfect topping for this fall-inspired dinner!

This makes servings for two hungry people. It’s EASILY doubled or even tripled, you’ll just need a big mixing bowl!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Level: Medium

Ingredients - serves 2

  • 8oz of spaghetti, fettuccini, or angel hair pasta (great with whole wheat pasta, too)

  • 4 strips of prosciutto

  • 4 strips of thick cut bacon

  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 2 eggs (plus extra yolks for serving, optional)

  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

  • Black pepper to taste

  • Optional: extra herbs for plating and serving

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400.

  2. Once the oven is preheated, place the prosciutto on a greased baking sheet, and let bake for 10-12 minutes until crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside until plating.

  3. Cut the 4 strips of thick cut bacon into little pieces, and cook in a skillet over medium high heat (stirring frequently) until fully cooked. Once it’s fully cooked (not blackened, just lightly browned), turn your skillet off, and toss in the minced garlic and all of the chopped herbs, and stir until fragrant, and let it cook on the leftover heat for about 2 minutes. It should smell awesome!

  4. Transfer the skillet ingredients to a small bowl to cool off. Scoop up the bacon pieces, garlic, and herbs, and you can bring a little bacon grease, too, just don’t pour it into the bowl, though. Set aside to continue cooling for a bit.

  5. Boil water and cook pasta as you normally would. And while the pasta is cooking, prep the sauce.

  6. In a large mixing bowl (large enough to hold all of the pasta, as it will eventually), beat together two eggs. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, the grated parmesan, and some black pepper to taste. Stir until it’s all combined into one thick sauce.

  7. After the bacon bowl has had time to cool off, add it to the egg mix and stir to combine. Set aside and wait for the pasta.

  8. IMPORTANT! When the pasta is done cooking, have a colander ready and the large mixing bowl with sauce close. You’ll want to drain the pasta quickly and IMMEDIATELY dump the pasta in the mixing bowl, therefore some of the pasta water is left to help make the dish creamier, and it’s hot enough to cook the egg sauce. After pasta is added to the bowl, use tongs or a rubber spatula (my choice) to fully combine. The heat from the freshly boiled pasta will cook the sauce and leave you with a creamy, gooey, herbaceous carbonara.

    Plating: Serve it up! Plate with the crispy prosciutto whole or broken up over each dish. Another way to make it even creamier is top it with a single egg yolk (save the egg white to make this cocktail!). You can also add more fresh herbs, especially for a pretty picture.