The 20-Minute Dinner I’m Making All Spring Long

Since my college days as an Italian major, I’ve loved spaghetti carbonara. The ingredients–eggs, Parmesan, bacon, and spaghetti—are always on hand in my house, and nothing beats the speed of the dish. The egg sauce cooks in seconds when tossed with the hot pasta! That said, it’s not exactly a square meal. 

Bereft of any form of vegetable, I always feel a little sheepish about sitting down to a bowl of pasta carbonara all by itself. The decadent dish needs to have a green salad or other vegetable side dish alongside it to round out the richness, and that’s not always something I have the energy for. 

A few years ago, after a trip to the first farmer’s markets of spring, I hit upon an idea: Why not add veggies to carbonara for a pasta primavera-carbonara mash-up? I added a few handfuls of chopped asparagus and snap peas to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking and then proceeded with my usual carbonara recipe. Voila! I had a healthier bowl of an old favorite shot through with all the lovely flavors of spring. 

I’ve refined the recipe since that first “a-ha” batch, adding baby spinach at the end for more green and lemon zest for a little brightness, but the idea is the same and it couldn’t be easier or more adaptable. It’s now my second-most anticipated dish of Spring. 

2 Quick Tips for Making My Spring Carbonara 

1. This dish comes together lightning-fast. Have all your ingredients prepped and within reach because once the spaghetti is done cooking, you’ll use the heat of the pasta to cook the raw eggs to make a silky sauce. 
2. I recommend finely grating your own Parmigiano Reggiano for this dish. The fine shreds melt seamlessly into the sauce, whereas pre-grated Parmesan leaves behind a pebbly texture. 

Easy Tweaks

I always use a 12 to 16-ounce bunch of asparagus as the primary vegetable because I cannot get enough of the grassy spears come spring. The rest of the veggies are super adaptable–I’ve used snow peas, snap peas, shelled English peas, peeled fava beans, tiny baby carrots, and even delicate morel mushrooms. Buy whatever seasonal veggies look good and cut them into pieces that will cook in the last 3 or so minutes with the spaghetti. 

I usually throw in a few cups of baby spinach while tossing the hot pasta with the eggs and bacon; it wilts in seconds once it hits the hot pasta. I have also used other spring greens like nettles, Swiss chard, or baby kale, but in those cases, I discard any tough stems and chop the greens. To make sure they are as tender as possible without becoming waterlogged, I sauté them in the pan with the bacon. Most greens are done in just 3 minutes when cooked in hot bacon fat.  

I use thick-cut pepper bacon for my carbonara, but you can substitute diced pancetta if you prefer. The flavor of pancetta isn’t smoky like bacon, so some purists prefer it. Since this recipe is decidedly inauthentic, I use easy-to-find bacon.

 Boil the water:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta (use 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 gallon of water).

Make the sauce:

Whisk the eggs, cream, and 1/2 cup of the cheese in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cook the bacon and garlic:

While the water is heating up, prepare the other ingredients. Put the bacon in a cold, medium sauté pan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant but not colored, 30 seconds. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Cook the pasta:

When the pasta water comes to a boil, break the spaghetti in half and add it to the pot. Cook according to package instructions, setting a timer for the recommended cooking time. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the spring vegetables (without the spinach) and cook until the timer goes off. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Quickly transfer the pasta and vegetables to a large serving bowl.

Toss together:

Working quickly, vigorously whisk 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water into the egg mixture to temper the eggs (this will help prevent curdling). Immediately pour the egg mixture over the pasta, tossing with tongs constantly. 

Add the bacon mixture (with drippings), spinach, remaining 1/4 cup of cheese, and lemon zest, and toss to combine, adding additional pasta cooking water, if desired, to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

The pasta is best served immediately. Reheating the pasta will curdle the egg.

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