College Cuisine: Carbonara

By Koby Parry

Welcome back to another week of a poor college kid making food! This week, we’ll be making my go-to carbonara recipe. This recipe is based on the internet chef, Joshua Weissman’s recipe, but I have made small adjustments for the sake of price and convenience. It’s easy, and filling, and everyone will think you’re an amazing chef since “carbonara” is a fancy word.

I always have the ingredients in my fridge for this recipe as it’s got a good amount of protein, carbs, and fat (which isn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is). And, it’s easy to cook! Whenever I finish a tough workout and feel like passing out, this is what I cook. Which hopefully goes to show how simple it actually is.

Carbonara

• 2 whole eggs ~$2.34 ($0.20/ea)
• 5 egg yolks (7 eggs total)
• 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (4 oz of cheese is roughly 1 cup shredded) ~$5.14 ($0.64/oz)
• 12 oz of bacon ~$3.72 ($4.96/lb)
• 1 lb of spaghetti (or any other thin noodle you prefer) ~$0.98 ($0.06/oz)
• Salt and pepper to taste ~$1.66 ($0.32/oz)
• 1 cup of pasta water

Grand total: ~$13.84

Recipe total: ~$9.67

Note: you won’t use the entire cup of pasta water. You’ll need to reserve a cup just in case you need more, but you will likely only end up using about half of it.

1. Set a large pot of water over high heat and salt generously. Add pasta once the water starts to boil and follow package directions.
2. While the water heats, add two whole eggs and five egg yolks to a bowl and whisk them together. Add shredded Parmesan cheese and mix until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. Slice bacon into small thin strips, throwing away any excess fat. Cook in a separate pan until crisp. Once done, turn off the heat and set aside.
4. Once the pasta is finished boiling, using a glass liquid measuring cup, save 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Put your noodles back into the pot, adding the bacon and egg-cheese mixture to the pot, and mix until the noodles are thoroughly coated. Add pasta water in small increments until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with shredded Parmesan and pepper and serve immediately.

Note: be cautious not to over salt your pasta. The bacon and pasta water will add a lot of salt, so be sure to taste everything before you decide to add more.

Pasta does not store well, but you can put it in a Tupperware container and keep it in the fridge as leftovers.