Thursdays Are For Cooking….

It really is Thursday and it has been a busy week. But we move on, right? So this recipe is one I may have posted a while back, but when the weather is still a bit chilly, it’s a good, hearty dish to serve.

This should give you four servings, so adjust ingredient quantities accordingly.

Chicken & Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti

8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 cups cut-up cooked chicken

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup whipping (heavy) cream

Preparation:

Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.

While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon in 3-quart saucepan over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon from saucepan with slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 tablespoon in saucepan.

Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and whipping cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Toss with bacon.

Note: pasta carbonara is usually made with beaten eggs and cream, and with pancetta instead of bacon. Pancetta is cured like bacon but much leaner, and has a slightly different flavor. This will take about 20 minutes to fix, making it a nice, hearty but not over-done dish for the evening meal.

Add a salad and some fresh, thick-sliced bread on the side, and a plateful of cut veggies like tomatoes, radishes and zucchini strips plus olives, and a nice dessert. Buon apetito!

 

 

Category: Cooking