Filipino-Style Carbonara
Filipino-Style Carbonara is a rich, cheesy, and filling pasta dish made with bacon and mushrooms. It's perfect for the holidays or for satisfying a crowd in potlucks or celebrations!
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 250 g spaghetti pasta
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 100 g mushrooms, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 chicken or beef bouillon cube
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 350 g bacon, chopped
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp liquid seasoning (may substitute with soy sauce)
- 1.5 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- 1
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, and reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water for later.
- 2
In a cold pan, add in the sliced bacon. Turn the heat to medium, and continue to cook the bacon low and slow until its fats render and it begins to crisp up (this can take anywhere from 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon).*Once the bacon is just about crisp, add in the brown sugar, liquid seasoning, and lime juice. Stir to combine just until the sugar caramelizes and coats the bacon. Set aside to cool.
- 3
In the same pan with the bacon fat (you may scoop some of the fat out if you'd like), sauté the onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and garlic, and sauté until browned and fragrant, about another 2-3 minutes.
- 4
Pour in the heavy cream, pasta water, grated parmesan, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Stir to combine and let simmer over medium heat until thickened slightly.
- 5
*Add in the cooked pasta, the caramelized bacon, and chopped parsley. Stir to combine until the sauce coats the pasta. Adjust with more salt to taste if necessary.
- 6
Serve warm. Top with more caramelized bacon, parsley, and freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!