The simplest and most delicious fish marinade ever! Ideally paired with halibut, mahi mahi, or orange roughy.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ pound sliced pancetta, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Whisk together eggs, cream, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta; return it to the pot off heat and cover to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer onion to a bowl; cover to keep warm.
- Cook pancetta in the same skillet over medium heat until browned; toss with nutmeg. Drain on paper towels.
- Combine pasta, onion, pancetta, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in the same large skillet over low heat. Slowly stir in egg mixture, tossing gently, so eggs don’t scramble. Cook until just heated through.
- Remove from heat and toss with parsley and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 838 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 62 g |
| Cholesterol | 264 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 26 g |
| Sodium | 871 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 53 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
As others have stated this isn’t a classic Italian Carbonara so if that’s what you’re expecting then this isn’t what you’re looking for. This is more of an Alfredo sauce than a Carbonara so keep that in mind but regardless of what you want to call it the sauce is great and this is a pretty quick and easy meal. For a richer texture I suggest cutting back on the egg whites. One or two will suffice and be sure to beat your eggs like they owe you money because you want those whites well incorporated. Also, many people have complained about ending up with scrambled eggs which is why I don’t really agree with the instructions given in the recipe as there are better ways of doing this. The quick and dirty method would be to boil and drain your pasta, kill the heat and toss the pasta and your sauce into the still hot pot and mix. If the pasta isn’t rinsed the starch from your pasta will help to thicken the sauce. If your pot is too hot though you still run the risk of ending up with scrambled eggs so keep that in mind. A more fullproof method and the method I use for any egg or cream sauce is to treat this like you’re making a Bearnaise sauce instead of tossing it in a skillet over low heat toss your sauce into an all metal bowl and put it over the water that you used to boil your pasta basically creating a double boiler as it allows better temperature control and prevents you from scorching your sauce to the bottom of the pan so your sauces will finish rich and creamy instead of overcooked and clumpy.
Very good, will make again!!
Followed exactly and it came out fantastic. I used the freshest ingredients I could find at the local Italian Deli.
5 STARS REALLY DELICIOUS! Only used half a cup of the pine nuts – -next time may even use less. I did not put in salt until the very end after I tasted it all together – -didnt need that much as all. only had half a cup of Parm cheese so I shredded some white cheddar for the other half of a cup and still came out great!! You really need to watch the heat when combining like others have said, – don’t leave it alone, slowly stir to make sure you don’t get scramble eggs! the minute I thought it was sticking to the side of the pan I just pulled it off the heat and continued to stir. ALSO Its very filling!
This came out fantastic. I cut it in half because it was just for myself and another person and there were still plenty of leftover. I added peas to my version And did not use pinenuts. I will definitely make this again. Very filling
This recipe was easy quick and absolutely perfect very delicious
This was well received by all. I used fresh ravioli instead of pasta. Will definitely make it again.
Good recipe. I added chicken in addition to the pancetta to increase the protein. I’ll definitely use the recipe again but may tweek it some.
It was amazing. Exactly the recipe I was looking for!!
Excellent!!! Made is today… I’m not crazy about pasta dishes unless it has any white sauce… this recipe was on the money.. since I’m spanish i added some garlic and green pepper… will make it again…
Excellent. Followed as written. Everyone including toddlers gobbled it up. I added edamame in place of peas for a little extra texture.
Very Good! Added peas, used half and half (still waaay rich) extra pepper and was delish! Will keep and make again.
Have made this a few times, a few different variations. I’ve used bacon ( instead of pancetta) and added spinach and mushrooms to the sauté in the beginning and this is just wonderful! Will enjoy this time and again in my collection.
Good. I substituted bacon for the pancetta, and I omitted the nutmeg and pinenuts because I didn’t have them.
This is a simple but great tasting recipe! I don’t like pine nuts so I left those out and deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup dry white wine after the pancetta. I was only cooking for two so made half the recipe and had enough for one lunch the next day. Would love to find a way to cut the cream so we can eat it more often w/o the guilt.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I loved it and so did my co-workers. I’ve made it several times and it always tastes great. The last time I made it, I added 1 bunch of asparagus and replaced the pancetta with prosciutto. Yummy. What do you think of Carbonara with shitake mushrooms, spinach, and veal? Thanks again for your recipe.
This recipe was quite good. I found the sauce just a teeny bit watery for my liking, so I added more Parmesan. I also added mushrooms with the onions. Will definitely make again and with a few minor tweaks. Thanks for sharing!
tasty but u wanna eat it right away or the sauce gets scrable eggs when u head it.
This was FANTASTIC! I added extra cheese… I am a cheese freak. But, this is definitely one of my favorite recipes from this site.
We had this on a night before a race and expanded the recipe to generously feed eight. Couldn’t have been better. It was delicious! I used a mixture of bacon and pancetta and substituted fettucine for the penne. Also, the pancetta was so salty, I used no additional salt. I did, however, grind out more pepper than the recipe called for.
We really liked this one! Left out the pine nuts, and added 2 tbsp of minced shallot. Will probably go a little lighter on the cream next time