Spaghetti Carbonara

My two older boys love noodles.  They would eat plain noodles every night for dinner if I let them.  Since I want them to have more nutrients than just plain noodles every night, when I saw this recipe I thought I would give it a try.  A nice compromise - lots of noodles but with bacon, eggs, peas and cheese tossed in the mix.  It was a success!  They downed this dinner and both asked for seconds.  High-fives across the table!  A 30-minute dinner added to the Park cookbook.  I love it!  

So I'm running my first 10K race tomorrow.  I started getting nervous as I drove past the race course today and saw them setting up.  The butterflies are still going strong as I type this up and think about tomorrow morning.  This dinner would make a great night-before-pre-race meal... very carb-rich.  Good luck to you with dinner tonight and good luck to me tomorrow morning.  We've got this. Another round of high-fives across the table!   

Spaghetti Carbonara
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

While waiting for the water to boil, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and cook until browned and crisp.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Once the water begins to boil add the spaghetti.  Cook according to the directions on the package.

Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat (if there is more than 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet, drain it first).  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs well with a fork.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Two minutes before the spaghetti is done, add the peas.  Reserving 1/2 cup of the boiling water, drain the spaghetti and peas in a colander then return to the still-hot pot.  Immediately add the eggs, reserved 1/2 cup water and onions.  Toss well to coat the spaghetti (the heat from the noodles will cook the eggs as they coat the spaghetti).  Sprinkle with the Parmesan, bacon and parsley and toss well again.

Serve with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from: Golub, Joanna Navaho.  Runner's World: Meals on the Run, 150 energy-packed recipes in 30 minutes or less. Rodale, 2015. Print.