Pasta Carbonara

 Personal Italian Weeknight Easy total time35 mins addedMarch 2020

• 1 pound pasta (such as penne or spaghetti)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 8 ounces pancetta, diced into 1-inch cubes
• (optional) 3 cloves garlic, minced
• (optional) ½ cup onion, chopped
• (optional) ½ cup mushrooms, chopped
• (optional) ½ cup peas
• 4 eggs plus two yolks, at room temperature
• ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions while you start the sauce.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and pancetta. Cook until the pancetta gets brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove pancetta and cook any additional ingredients such as garlic, onion, mushrooms or peas. Return pancetta to the pan.
4. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with cream, cheese, salt and pepper.
5. When the spaghetti is done, drain it, reserving some of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the hot pancetta skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the oil. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour over the egg mixture, tossing quickly so the eggs don’t scramble. Add some of the hot cooking water to thin it out and form a sauce. Toss in the parsley.
6. Serve immediately with some extra cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.