Lemon & Pea Carbonara

We are carbonara people!

Recipes like this please my whole family (plus, it’s easy enough to throw together in minutes on a busy weeknight).  Trust me, you will make this recipe over and over again.

Happy Friday, friends!

Enjoy!

This recipe serves four.

Shopping List
1 pound of pasta (we used a whole wheat linguine)
6 slices of bacon, chopped (I used turkey bacon)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 shallot, chopped
salt and pepper
one cup of chicken stock
2 cups of peas (fresh or frozen)
the zest and juice of one lemon, reserve some zest to garnish
2 egg yolks
about a cup of grated Parmesan cheese plus a bit more to garnish

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.  Drop your pasta down inside and cook until al dente (about 7 or 8 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute your chopped bacon in a drizzle of EVOO.  Once the bacon is crisp, add in your chopped shallot and saute just a minute along with a pinch of both salt and pepper.  Next, slowly stir in your chicken stock and de-glaze your skillet (scrape the little bits off the bottom).  Reduce heat to low and allow everything to simmer a few minutes as the stock reduces down.  Next, add in your peas, lemon zest and lemon juice and toss everything together.  Now, drain all of the water from your pot of pasta except for a cup.  Reserve that cup of hot cooking water off to the side.  Add your hot pasta to the pea and bacon mixture.

 In small bowl, whisk together your two egg yolks and then slowly pour your reserved water down into the eggs (do not place the eggs directly in your skillet or else they’ll scramble).  Continue to stir the hot water and yolks together.  After this, turn off the heat under your skillet and now pour this egg yolk mixture down over your pasta and toss everything together.  At this point, I would add in a nice handful of Parmesan cheese here.

Ladle a big portion of pasta down on to each plate and then garnish with another sprinkle of Parm and a bit more lemon zest.

That’s it!  Dinner comes together so quickly here and is unbelievably good!