Easy Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Everybody loves a simple bowl of pasta, right? I do have to confess that most of the time when I am in a restaurant pasta is usually the last dish that I will be ordering from the menu, but sometimes you just have a craving for a simple, fresh and deliciously carbolicious bowl of pasta. Several years ago while channel hopping I happened to come across Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes Cooking Show on BBC. One dish from that show – OK, so I only watched one episode – stuck with me; Spaghetti Carbonara.

I found it intriguing when Rick Stein said that most of the people are making Spaghetti Carbonara the wrong way – including himself. That made me actually not to change the channel. Stein was told by an Italian never to use Parmesan cheese or cream when making Spaghetti Carbonara. And I thought ‘now that’s interesting’ as when I think of a Carbonara sauce, I immediately think of a creamy pasta sauce. But instead of cream when making a proper Italian Spaghetti Carbonara you should use eggs. I had to try it! And from the first time I made Rick Stein’s Spaghetti Carbonara it has been my favorite pasta dish. The lack of cream makes it less heavy. All the fresh parsley and garlic give it a fresh taste. Smoked pancetta brings the saltiness. It really does not need anything else. If I have not convinced you to try to make Spaghetti Carbonara, let Rick Stein talk you into it here.

Over the years while making Spaghetti Carbonara I thought of mixing it up a bit, so I added oven roasted tomatoes into it. You can make them beforehand to save some time. Just add them cold on top of the Spaghetti Carbonara or toss them into it on the skillet just before you serve the Spaghetti Carbonara. The oven roasted tomatoes bring a little twist into the classic Spaghetti Carbonara which brings out even more flavor from this simple bowl of pasta. Try it with and without the oven roasted tomatoes to find out which way you prefer your Spaghetti Carbonara. But remember never, ever, ever use cream or Parmesan!

Spaghetti Carbonara with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Preparation time: 45 – 60 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
350 g Cherry Tomatoes on Vine
1 – 2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 springs of Fresh Rosemary
4 springs of Fresh Lemon Thyme
1 spring of Fresh Thyme
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Dash of Salt

Spaghetti Carbonara:
250 g Dry Spaghetti
50 g Pecorino Romano Cheese (+ 25 g for garnish)
100 g Smoked Pancetta
2 Garlic Cloves
1 large handful of chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
3 large Eggs
1/2 – 1 cup of the spaghetti cooking water

Directions:

To make the Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Remove the cherry tomatoes from the vine and wash. Place the tomatoes into a ovenproof dish, so that they are close together and in a quite tight-fitting dish.
Splash the olive oil on top of the tomatoes.
Tear the rosemary, lemon thyme and thyme leaves out of the springs and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes.

Further season with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Mix the tomatoes with your hands, so they are covered with the olive oil and the herbs. Put into the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened. Set aside.

To prepare the Spaghetti Carbonara:
Cut the pancetta into small chunks or strips. Set aside.

Grate the Pecorino Romano cheese (75 g). Separate a third (25 g) of the grated Pecorino for garnish. Set aside.

Roughly chop the parsley and set aside.

Peel the garlic cloves and mince them. Set aside.

Slightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.
Boil around 2 liters of water in a large saucepan. Add salt and a splash of olive oil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the spaghetti is al dente.

Leave the cooked spaghetti in the saucepan in the cooking water.
In a large skillet heat up the olive oil. Add the pancetta chunks and the minced garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped parsley and cook for about a minute.

Add the al dente spaghetti straight from the saucepan into the skillet and gently toss.

Add approximately a cup of the spaghetti cooking water onto the skillet to create a little bit of sauce.

Toss the grated Pecorino Romano with the spaghetti mix.

Lastly add the beaten eggs and toss well.

While continuously tossing cook just enough so that the eggs start to cook, but not so long that the Carbonara becomes dry. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Transfer the Spaghetti Carbonara into pasta bowls and garnish with the oven roasted tomatoes and freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Carbonara recipe adapted from Rick Stein Mediterranean Escapes 

Print Spaghetti Carbonara with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Total Time: 1 hour

Serving Size: 3-4

Ingredients

• Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
• 350 g Cherry Tomatoes on Vine
• 1 – 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 springs of Fresh Rosemary
• 4 springs of Fresh Lemon Thyme
• 1 spring of Fresh Thyme
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Dash of Salt
• Spaghetti Carbonara:
• 250 g Dry Spaghetti
• 50 g Pecorino Romano Cheese (+ 25 g for garnish)
• 100 g Smoked Pancetta
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 large handful of chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• 3 large Eggs
• 1/2 – 1 cup of the spaghetti cooking water

Instructions

1. To make the Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
2. Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F.
3. Remove the cherry tomatoes from the vine and wash.
4. Place the tomatoes into a ovenproof dish, so that they are close together and in a quite tight-fitting dish.
5. Splash the olive oil on top of the tomatoes.
6. Tear the rosemary, lemon thyme and thyme leaves out of the springs and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes. Further season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
7. Mix the tomatoes with your hands, so they are covered with the olive oil and the herbs.
8. Put into the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened. Set aside.
9. To prepare the Spaghetti Carbonara:
10. Cut the pancetta into small chunks or strips. Set aside.
11. Grate the Pecorino Romano cheese (75 g). Separate a third (25 g) of the grated Pecorino for garnish. Set aside.
12. Roughly chop the parsley and set aside.
13. Peel the garlic cloves and mince them. Set aside.
14. Slightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.
15. Boil around 2 liters of water in a large saucepan. Add salt and a splash of olive oil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the spaghetti is al dente.
16. Leave the cooked spaghetti in the saucepan in the cooking water.
17. In a large skillet heat up the olive oil.
18. Add the pancetta chunks and the minced garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes.
19. Add the chopped parsley and cook for about a minute.
20. Add the al dente spaghetti straight from the saucepan into the skillet and gently toss.
21. Add approximately a cup of the spaghetti cooking water onto the skillet to create a little bit of sauce.
22. Toss the grated Pecorino Romano with the spaghetti mix.
23. Lastly add the beaten eggs and toss well.
24. While continuously tossing cook just enough so that the eggs start to cook, but not so long that the Carbonara becomes dry.
25. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
26. Transfer the Spaghetti Carbonara into pasta bowls and garnish with the oven roasted tomatoes and freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
27. Serve immediately.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://www.marthafied.com/2013/12/09/easy-spaghetti-carbonara-recipe-oven-roasted-tomatoes/

The post Easy Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe with Oven Roasted Tomatoes appeared first on www.marthafied.com