..where teens can learn to cook restaurant quality meals for the family
UpCooked Carbonara
An exciting twist on the classic Carbonara, this recipe features the addition of red onions, fresh parsley, and lemon juice to add to a rich, creamy sauce. So simple for teens and tastes amazing.
ADJUST SERVINGS
Most of our recipes are for 4 people. You can check and adjust the serving size by clicking on the red number above.
BEFORE YOU START
This recipe substitutes Pecorino for Parmesan for a sharper taste and includes red onions for additional sweetness. Using pasta water enhances the creaminess of the sauce.
GET SHOPPING!
This is a reminder to check what ingredients you need to buy and add them to your shopping list. It’s good to do your own food shopping, but at the very least, you’re head chef, so send a family member out to the shops for you!
GET ORGANISED
Remember ‘Skill 2’ of the Big 5: Become super-organised.:
Add your own private notes:
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large frying pan
- Tongs
- Whisk
- Large bowl
- Colander
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti or tagliatelle
- 150 g pancetta or guanciale (or any bacon lardons if you can't find them) Buy diced if you can, otherwise you'll need to dice it!
- 4 large eggs
- 100 g Pecorino cheese Grated if you can buy it, or grate it yourself
- 1 red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 cup pasta cooking water (Obviously this will be available once you've cooked the pasta)
- 1 Lemon (optional – and you just want the zest)
Instructions
Prep in Advance
- Start by washing your hands.
- Gather all necessary utensils and ingredients.
- Peel and finely chop the red onion.
- Grate the Pecorino cheese.
- Dice the pancetta or guanciale.
- Peel the garlic clove.
- Zest the lemon if using. Up to you. Want some extra tang or are you happy with the traditional recipe?
- Wash, shake dry, then chop fresh parsley for garnish and the sauce.
Let’s Cook!
- Fill a large pot with water and add a couple of pinches of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Al dente is not hard, but slightly firm to bite into. A cross section of the pasta shows its under done if there's a whiter dot in the middle. But as soon as that white dot vanishes, it's al dente! Anything past that and you're overcooking…
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove the pancetta and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- In the same pan, add the chopped red onion and the whole garlic clove. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, then remove the garlic.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated Pecorino cheese, and a handful of chopped parsley. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Gradually add some of this water to the egg and cheese mixture, whisking continuously to create a creamy sauce.
- Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan with the pancetta and onion. Remove the pan from the heat and pour over the egg and cheese mixture. Toss everything together quickly, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. You want it all covered and moist but not swimming in liquid!
- Top with crispy pancetta, extra Pecorino cheese, freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
- Please leave a comment below on how you went and how you changed it if you did.
Please share with us how you went!We need your feedback so we can improve the recipes and help others succeed! Please let us know by leaving a comment 🙂