Description
A “lightened up” carbonara pasta featuring crispy bacon and poached egg with a rich, gooey yolk. Plus fresh ingredients like shallot, asparagus and arugula.
Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 strips uncured organic, pastured (grass-fed) bacon
- 6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or linguine
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 16 ounces asparagus, chopped, with ends removed and discarded
- 1 cup baby arugula, chopped
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 4 fresh, organic, pastured (grass-fed) eggs
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange the bacon strips on the wire rack so that no two pieces are overlapping. Cook the bacon about 8-10 minutes, or until small bubbles form and the bacon begins to brown. Very carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven, taking care not to splatter any bacon grease. The bacon should continue to crisp a bit as it cools on the counter.
- Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook, according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the arugula, stir, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Add the cooked pasta and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until well combined. Transfer pasta to serving plates.
- Crumble the cooked bacon over each plate of pasta.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a light simmer. Add the vinegar to the pot. Crack one egg into a one-cup measuring cup and lower into the simmering pot. Set a timer for 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and allow the egg to simmer untouched until the time is up. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the egg from the pot. If the egg white is not yet opaque and firm, add 30-45 seconds to the cook time for the next egg. If the yolk is solid instead of runny, subtract 30-45 seconds from the cook time for the next egg.
- Arrange a poached egg over each plate of pasta, and serve. Pierce each egg with a fork, to create a “sauce” with the egg yolk.