She's Not Mad at Me Spaghetti Carbonara

My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  The first time I served him pasta after we were married, he took one look at his dinner and said, "Are you mad at me?  Did I do something wrong?"

For the most part, he'd prefer beef and mashed potatoes over just about any other meal.  Taking their cue from their father, our sons weren't wild about pasta either, although occasionally the youngest would eat it plain.  Imagine my surprise when I found a pasta dish they not only would eat, but eat with enthusiasm.  I have no idea why this pasta dish was such a hit when all others failed; I was just so happy to have finally found something the picky boys would eat.  And it's super easy to make too!

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 pound bacon
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground peper to taste
1 pound spaghetti or other pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fry the bacon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  I cut it into pieces first, but you can fry it in strips or any way you like.
 

 Look at all that bacony goodness!

Sautée sliced onions in bacon fat until onions are golden, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can cook the bacon and onions in the same pan at the same time if you want, but you'll have less control over how much the onions cook because you'll need to stop when the bacon is done. So I like to do it in two steps.  When the onions are to your liking, add the bacon back in, add the wine, and simmer for 15  or 20 minutes.  Tonight, I was out of wine so I used tequila instead.  Maybe I should call this Spaghetti Carbonara Olé!  It's better with the wine.  I really couldn't taste any tequila flavor.  Darn!

 Oh how I love the smell and taste of sautéed onions.

A side note on the onions:  Did you know that if you breathe only through your mouth when you chop onions, it will usually keep your eyes from burning and watering?!  It depends on the type of onions and how fresh they are, but it almost always works.  Just be sure you don't breathe through your nose!

Okay, back to the recipe.  But you're gonna thank me for that little tidbit, see if you don't.

Combine the 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions and drain.  I like to put the pasta back into the pan and back onto the burner to get any remaining moisture out.  You need to stir continually while doing this.

Add the Parmesan cheese and parsley mixture to the pasta and toss well.  Then add in the bacon and onion mixture and toss again.  Sprinkle the remaining bit of parsley on top.  Serve immediately on warm plates and pass the extra Parmesan cheese.