Luscious Creamy Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

The italians make carbonara with guanciale, which is a sort of bacon made from cured pork cheeks, but you can substitute pancetta, which, like ordinary bacon, is from the pork belly, or just use ordinary bacon. Guanciale is not typically smoked, though, so for the most classic flavor, don't use smoked bacon. Although the recipe says "Spaghetti, " You can make this carbonara recipe with penne or fettuccine or bucatini. If you're looking for a healthier option you can also use spaghetti squash. But what about the cream? Traditional carbonara in italy is made without cream. It's a drier carbonara, to be sure, but not less satisfying. Still, if you're accustomed to the north american version of carbonara as it is served at popular restaurants like cheesecake factory, olive garden and so forth, a cream-free carbonara might not be what you want. And we're here to say: no judgment You like what you like, and trying to convince someone to stop liking what they like is always futile. Therefore, we have cream in this recipe. If you don't want it, you can leave it out. In fact, even the version of carbonara in this recipe will seem downright minimalist compared to the standard north american version, which usually features peas, or sometimes diced, roasted red peppers, even chicken or shrimp. Again, the solution is: add it if you like it that way. If you're adding peas, for instance, a cup of frozen peas stirred into the sauce at step 5 will do the trick. A grilled chicken breast cut into strips can either go in at step 5 or you can hold it to the end and serve it atop the pasta, garnished with some chopped fresh parsley.