Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Shrimp recipe

This pasta dish is a lot lighter than my Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon recipe. Just because it feels lighter in the tummy, doesn't mean compromising the flavor! I think I actually like this better -- the shrimp may have played a part in that decision. If you want yours to have a little bit more sauce, use a total of 2 eggs and 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, and salt to taste. Speaking of eggs, use pasteurized eggs if you think raw eggs are sketchy.

For extra flavor, you may drizzle shrimp with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400° F for 8 minutes. I just chose to boil the shrimp because I didn't want to add another thing to wash after dinner. I boiled the shrimp first, then used the same pot for cooking the pasta. Ha, I thought it was genius. Oh, don't forget to serve this dish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a few grinds of black pepper. It really makes a difference.

Printable Recipe

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Shrimp

For the Shrimp
ingredients:
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• water

instructions:
1)  Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add salt and shrimp, give it a stir. Cover the pot and turn the heat off. Let shrimp sit in hot water for 2 minutes. Drain shrimp and set aside.

For the Pasta
ingredients:
• ½ lb spaghetti or thin spaghetti
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• water

instructions:
1)  Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add salt and pasta, give it a stir. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Before draining pasta, save ¼ cup of pasta water; set aside.

For the Sauce
ingredients:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped + more for garnish
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
• 1 egg
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

instructions:
1)  Beat egg and Pecorino Romano cheese in a bowl, set aside.
2)  Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add pancetta, saute for 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook for 30 seconds.
3)  Add pasta to the pan and turn the heat off. Add salt, ground black pepper, parsley, and egg-cheese mixture. Toss a few times to get the egg-cheese mixture incorporated with the pasta a little bit. Pour in the reserved pasta water and continue to toss until it reaches desired consistency.
4)  Turn on the heat to low. Add the shrimp and toss for 1 minute to heat the shrimp through.
5)  Put a serving in a dish or bowl. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, few grinds of black pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley.