Spaghetti carbonara is a classic Italian dish that likely has American contributions. While the original version may be based on the iconic pasta, spaghetti squash cooked al dente offers a unique vegetal crunch that you just can’t get from pasta. It truly is its own thing.
Ingredients
- 1 small spaghetti squash
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 ounce pecorino Romano and Parmesan grated cheese blend
- 3 slices bacon, cut into cubes
- 1 small onion, diced
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half widthwise and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside each spaghetti squash half. Place halves on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for 40 minutes. Whisk together egg, egg yolk and cheese blend.
Remove squash from oven and let cool enough to handle. Cook bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once bacon has rendered its fat, add diced onions and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onions 7–8 minutes. Turn heat to low. While the onions cook, use a fork to extract “spaghetti strands” from squash.
Fill a large mixing bowl with hot water. Add squash strands to the onions and bacon. Stir and warm for about 1 minute. Empty hot water from mixing bowl. Add egg and cheese mixture to warm bowl then stir in contents from the sauté pan. Mix thoroughly.
Serve immediately topped with grated cheese and chopped parsley.
