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

Cook Time51

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Italian

Keyword: Pasta Spachetti Carbonara Bacon

Servings: 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.
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Nutrition