Rich, creamy, and ready in less than 20 minutes? Yes! This easy carbonara is your go-to meal when you want comfort food and you want it now. Smoky duck bacon makes this satisfying dish extra-special.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
½ pound spaghetti
3 ounces duck bacon, sliced into ¼ inch strips*
1 clove garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 large egg and 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Put a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta until al dente or until tender yet firm.

While pasta is cooking, put a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté duck bacon until the fat begins to render, then add garlic  and crushed red pepper and continue to sauté until bacon starts to brown and garlic has softened, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and cheese. Season generously with black pepper, stirring well to prevent lumps.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat.Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.)

Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency.

Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

Cooks’ Note:
*Duck bacon is available at dartagnan.com .

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