Homemade Orecchiette Carbonara with Peas, Bacon, and Shiitake Mushrooms
Why I Love This Recipe
This dish, made with homemade orecchiette, has a light (yes, light!) carbonara sauce and makes me dream of Italy.
Ingredients You'll Need
4 slice applewood bacon, diced
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/3" slices
10 ounces orecchiette
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 cup sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup freshly shelled green peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions
Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet if necessary. Add mushrooms and saute over medium heat about 3 minutes. Add green peas and saute for 2 more minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add leeks and sauté over about 6 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to leeks and mushroom mixture in skillet and stir to heat. Remove skillet from heat. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes. (Return skillet to very low heat if egg mixture is runny; do not overcook or eggs will curdle.) Add some of remaining 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to pasta if needed to moisten. Stir in bacon and parsley. Serve pasta, passing additional cheese separately.
