Traditional carbonara is an absolutely delicious Italian dish I regularly like to make if I am in a bit of a rush. The addition of eggs gives a lovely creaminess without having to add cream. It turns a simple pasta dish into another level. I have taken the basic idea of the carbonara and just given it a slightly different flavour and texture. The addition of pine nuts gives a little crunch and the pesto and onion addition give a little more flavour. I sometimes stir some sautéed mushrooms into the pasta instead of the bacon to make a vegetarian dish.
I like using fusilli lunghi instead of spaghetti in this dish as it adds a different look and flavour to the dish
Fusilli Lunghi pesto carbonara
Ingredients
- 150 g fusilli lunghi
- 6 rashers streaky smoked bacon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Half a small onion chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tbsp chopped Basil
- 2 eggs
- 50 g Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp pesto
- Black pepper
- Chilli flakes optional
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes drained and halved
Instructions
- Add the pasta to a large pan of boiling water, stir and bring back to the boil.
- Cook for 10 minutes until cooked al dente. Drain well.
- Grill the bacon until crispy and use any fat to sauté the onions until softened. Chop into pieces.
- Sauté the pine nuts in a pan until lightly roasted.
- Mix together the pasta, bacon, pesto, basil and onion. Warm through and add the olive oil.
- Quickly add the egg mixture and fold into the pasta. Keep mixing to combine it thoroughly.
- Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and fold in. Add black pepper to taste.
To serve
- Sprinkle with the pine nuts and garnish with the tomatoes. If using sprinkle over some garlic flakes.
Notes
Stir some sautéed mushrooms into the pasta instead of the bacon to make a vegetarian dish.
Replace the pesto with a sun-dried tomato pesto for a stronger flavour.
