Roasted Asparagus Mushroom Carbonara

Whenever we get a pasta craving, we always turn to our absolute favorite way of preparing it: carbonara! The creamy egg-and-cheese based dish, with its flavors of bacon and black pepper, is absolutely delicious, but we always wondered if there was a way to add a little more health power to it. The answer was tastefully obvious: add some vegetables! Mixing roasted asparagus and mushrooms to the dish just makes it more tasty, and makes the dish even more of a total meal. Check out how easy it is and give it a try.

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ROASTED ASPARAGUS MUSHROOM CARBONARA

Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-½ pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 pound dry spaghetti
  • 4 large eggs
  • 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Parmesan, grated
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
  2. Place the asparagus and mushrooms on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat.
  3. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize, stirring halfway.
  4. While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.
  5. While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the fresh cracked pepper until well-combined.
  7. Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
  8. Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.
  10. Season with black pepper and sea salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the roasted asparagus and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

NOTE

  • Stirring while mixing the eggs and pasta is very important! If the pasta and eggs are not mixed quickly enough, the eggs will scramble and the sauce won’t be creamy.

Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking