Pepperoni Spaghetti Carbonar | Slyh in the Kitchen

Spicy pepperoni, smoky bacon, in a creamy garlic carbonara sauce tossed with pasta: How does that sound? Delicious, if you ask me!

I got hooked on spaghetti carbonara when Jon decided to make the dish one evening. The flavors reminded me of a dish I would order at a local pizza joint. All the carbonara needed was some chopped pepperoni! For whatever reason, when you chop pepperoni, it seems to release the flavors and have a more intense pepperoni taste. And who doesn’t like bacon? Bacon makes everything better in my opinion! Scoop up the bacon and pepperoni pasta with a piece of garlic bread and it gets even better.

Pepperoni Spaghetti Carbonara is a quick and easy dish to bring together for a great weeknight meal! Go ahead, give it a whirl!
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic
½ cup chopped pepperoni sticks
½ cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp cornstarch
½ cup reserved pasta water (water that the pasta was boiled in)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded provolone cheese
6 cups cooked spaghetti
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Fresh or dried parsley for optional garnish

Whisk the eggs, milk, and cornstarch together and set aside.

Boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, before draining the water.

Cook the chopped bacon on medium heat in a sauté pan until the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and lay the bacon on a paper towel lined plate; set aside.

Lower the heat in the sauté pan to low-medium and sauté the garlic for about 1 minute.

Add in the pepperoni and cook for about another minute.

Toss the spaghetti with the garlic and pepperoni and reduce the heat to low.

Temper the egg mixture with the reserved pasta water. While tossing the pasta continuously, add in the egg mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes while still tossing the pasta, so to not scramble the eggs. Remove from heat.

Toss the pasta with the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Top with the reserved bacon.

Garnish with dry or fresh parsley.

Pepperoni Spaghetti Carbonara

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Creamy garlic carbonara sauce tossed with spaghetti, smoky bacon, and spicy pepperoni

Author: Melissa Slyh

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic
½ cup chopped pepperoni sticks
½ cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp cornstarch
½ cup reserved pasta water (water that the pasta was boiled in)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded provolone cheese
6 cups cooked spaghetti
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Fresh or dried parsley for optional garnish

Instructions

Whisk the eggs, milk, and cornstarch together and set aside.
Boil and cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, before draining the water.
Cook the chopped bacon on medium heat in a sauté pan until the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and lay the bacon on a paper towel lined plate; set aside.
Lower the heat in the sauté pan to low-medium and sauté the garlic for about 1 minute.
Add in the pepperoni and cook for about another minute.
Toss the spaghetti with the garlic and pepperoni and reduce the heat to low.
Temper the egg mixture with the reserved pasta water. While tossing the pasta continuously, add in the egg mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes while constantly tossing the pasta, so to not scramble the eggs.
Toss the pasta with the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Top with the reserved bacon.
Garnish with dry or fresh parsley.