Pasta Carbonara with Turkey Bacon and Edamame

]Whenever I had no time to make dinner when my kids were growing up, I always resorted to cooking a quick pasta meal like this Pasta Carbonara with Turkey Bacon and Edamame. The hearty spaghetti noodles, the creamy egg-sauce and the allure of the bacon never failed to entice my family. Plus I got to sneak in those frozen green peas and my boys ate it all up.

During one of those hectic work days last week, I made my go-to pasta dish again, but this time with a healthier take on it, and still preserving the flavors. From what I have heard other pasta experts say, pancetta has always been the classic crisp ingredient for this dish. But I decided to turn things around a bit. I used turkey bacon. And in place of the frozen green peas, I used edamame, which were larger and plumper than tiny peas.

A question has always been asked by readers about the safety of making this dish with uncooked eggs. To answer that, I’ve taken the cue of fellow food bloggers Weelicious and Damn Delicious who have used pasteurized eggs for their pasta carbonara recipes that call for raw eggs. I have used pasteurized eggs for a fancy Chocolate Mousse Tart (see past blog post) and not only was it fantastic and elicited great raves around the table, but I felt safe about using the brand I did at that time. Make sure the package of eggs you purchase are marked ‘pasteurized’.

Anyway, I promised you a quick, easy recipe so I won’t keep you with long stories today. And contrary to the misconception that healthy is tasteless, well then, this Pasta Carbonara with Turkey and Edamame was luscious, creamy with the crisp bacon bits. It definitely was not boring. Dive deep and start twirling your forks now, folks.

Print Recipe

Pasta Carbonara with Turkey Bacon and Edamame

If you love making carbonara for your family, this Pasta Carbonara with Turkey Bacon and Edamame is the same classic but with a healthy take. Use crisp turkey bacon and large edamame pods for this. Everyone who eats this dish will enjoy it so much they will not notice it’s turkey bacon and not the usual pork variety. The combined aroma of the garlic and red peppers sizzling in the skillet is enough to make everyone come to the table quickly. The beauty of this dish is that you can use any pasta you prefer and add other fresh vegetable ingredients to fill it up. This is an AsianInAmericamag recipe. Serves 4 to 6. 

Prep Time9 minutes mins

Cook Time51 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Italian

Keyword: Pasta Spachetti Carbonara Bacon

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 718kcal

Author: Asian in America - Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti pasta cook according to package directions
• 1 Tablespoon salt to add to pasta water before boiling
• 1/2 pound turkey bacon cooked, chopped into bite-sized square bits
• 4 whole eggs beaten (pasteurized)
• 1/3 cup milk to add to eggs
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 whole red bell peppers seeded, diced in small bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup frozen edamame pods or use frozen green peas as substitute
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper powder
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• 1/2 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• for serving garlic bread

Instructions

• Cook pasta in a large stockpot filled with boiling water according to package directions. I first boiled the water with the salt. When water was bubbly and boiling, I added the pasta. Cook the pasta for 8 to 9 minutes till al dente. Drain pasta. While discarding the hot water it was cooked in, leave a few tablespoons to ‘temper’ the eggs with.
• *How to temper the eggs – this recipe calls for raw, uncooked eggs. For best results, use eggs that are marked ‘pasteurized’. But if you don’t have access to pasteurized eggs, here’s how you can temper eggs : beat eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water (from cooking pasta) into the eggs as you beat them. This will bring eggs up to the right temperature. Add the milk and mix well. Set aside for a few minutes.
• To cook the bacon: Place the turkey bacon strips in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay out the strips straight, without overlapping each other. Baked at 375 F oven for 25 to 28 minutes till bacon is crisp and brown. When done, drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. When cool enough, chop up bacon into bits. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, saute the garlic and red peppers for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not leave unattended and do not let garlic burn, it will affect the flavor of this dish.
• Add the edamame to the mixture. Blend and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Add the cooked pasta. Pour the beaten eggs with milk (or tempered beaten eggs). Work quickly when adding the eggs. Stir the eggs quickly into the pasta to avoid a scrambled egg texture. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix everything well till creamy eggs coat the pasta noodles. Turn off the heat. The residual heat of the skillet will continue to cook the entire pasta dish.
• Top the dish with crisp turkey bacon bits. Sprinkle freshly-grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve warm with garlic bread.
• Cook’s comments: if preferred, use regular bacon, cooked and prepared the same way as directions above. Feel free to use any other pasta you like, as well as the frozen green peas in the same quantity listed above. Or even toss in blanched greens like broccoli or green beans if you want more vegetables in this entree.
• Hello, Friends! All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and  recipe content I wrote, on your website  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website or news article, please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 718kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 3348mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg

Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.

Did you like this recipe?I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot by Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino. I also have more classic recipes inspired by my mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]