Summer Vegetable Bacon Carbonara

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You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now.

Anytime I make a new recipe, I’m super excited about it…while I’m eating it and taking pictures. But then, 2 weeks pass and by the time I’m ready to post it here, I’m just not that interested in it anymore because there are new recipes floating around in my head and taking up space on my camera.

Tonight is no different.

It’s 10:30, I’m just now sitting down to write this post, and I’m distracted by the Friends reruns. Procrastinate much?

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Maybe I need to post about a dish the day after I make it. I just don’t think that’s possible when half the time I miss daylight for pictures because of garden time or canning sessions or my new hobby – learning to play the banjo.

Does this totally make me a country girl? I still don’t have overalls, so I think I’m okay.

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I’m going to try to wrangle up my original excitement about this dish – just for you guys.

This was my first time to ever try making a carbonara at home. Pasta + eggs + cheese + bacon? That’s a no brainer in this house.

Besides green beans, our garden is spitting out corn and zucchini and the tomatoes are on their way. We haven’t had much corn yet, but just be prepared for either a ton of recipes OR great ways to store it for winter. I have a feeling I’ll be doing both. And I’ll be exhausted for a few more months.

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I love the idea of eggs becoming the sauce on this pasta. I used a whole wheat thin spaghetti and tossed the super hot pasta with an egg and parmesan mix with some fresh corn and peas, and – the highlight of this dish – crispy, crumbled bacon.

Being an adult means we don’t have summers off anymore…but meals like this kind of make up for that.

Kind of. But not totally. I still miss months with no alarm clocks, breakfast during The Price is Right, and afternoons filled with pool visits and Wings reruns on rainy days.

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Summer Vegetable Bacon Carbonara

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from the cobs
  • 1 cup fresh peas, shelled
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 8 oz. whole wheat pasta

Directions:

  1. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, flipping after a few minutes, until the bacon is crisp and it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon from the pan and remove the pan from the heat; set aside, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the parmesan, milk, salt, and pepper and set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a palmful of salt, then stir in the pasta.
  4. Let the pasta come back to a boil and toss in the corn kernels and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-9 minutes or until the pasta, corn, and peas are tender. Scoop out about a cup of the pasta water and set it aside.
  5. Drain the pasta and vegetables and drop immediately into the bowl with the egg mixture, tossing quickly with tongs or two forks, keeping it moving to help the eggs cook and create the sauce on the pasta.
  6. Pour 1-2 Tbsp of the bacon fat from the pan into the pasta and toss together. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
  7. Crumble the bacon into the pasta and toss together. Serve.

29 comments

  1. I just wrote my post watching Glee reruns. :) And I am pretty sure that anything is good if it has bacon!

  2. I do the same, sometimes I scrap posts in their entirety because I just can’t summon up the enthusiasm to write about what I made a few weeks before. But I’m so glad you did share this recipe, I’ve been looking for a good carbonara recipe and I love the summer vegetable additions you made.

  3. Love this! I am a carbonara addict.

  4. Well, I’m excited about this. It’s beautiful! I love carbonara anyway, but the addition of summer veggies makes it THAT much better!

  5. I’ve never made carbonara but now I think I have to! Gosh this looks good. I love the addition of the fresh corn!

  6. Gorgeous! Lovely photos, too!

  7. I have the same problem, so I have got into the habit of writing the post right after I make it so all the thoughts are fresh in my mind about how it tasted, etc. And I love this dish by the way, carbonara is already so good but I love the extra veggies!

  8. I love how this dish screams summer! And I’m totally the same way – I usally make something and then post it a month later. Life of a food blogger, right?

  9. This has summer written all over it! Loving all of the fresh veggies!

  10. oh how fabulous. carbonara is a wonderful treat on its own, but adding some of summer’s bounty? even better!!

  11. I really hope I get to hear you play the banjo someday! Love this!

    • i hope so, too! maybe if i can actually play a song :) i was practicing last night – at least i’m getting a little better every day!

  12. This looks SO good! I especially love that you made the creamy sauce without heavy cream.

  13. anything with bacon is a winner in my book. oh, and carbs. lots of caaarby goodness!

  14. The banjo? Ok..you are too cute!

  15. Wow, this looks incredible! Love how many veggies you packed into this. I’m so bad, I’d just eat the pasta, but I guess being an adult I should be responsible, haha. Good thing responsible looks goooooood! ;)

  16. I know just what you mean. If I don’t blog about it the following day, I start to forget about it …and forget how I made it! This looks really good :-)

  17. Mmm… I love carbonara and make it often for a quick dinner. Love the idea of adding some summer veggies, too!

  18. This pasta looks amazeballs. I can say that…right? I love that you included corn. It’s one of my favorite parts of summer…mmm…fresh corn….

  19. carbonara has been on my to-make list for awhile now…this sounds incredible. thanks for drumming up enthusiasm for us :)

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