Behold this Spicy Bacon Mushroom Carbonara!

Isn't she pretty?

Another one of our favorites.

This recipe is adapted from Cardiac Arrest Carbonara on Cooks.com.

I lightened it up a little bit -- or at least I like to think I lightened it up!  Please don't wake me . . .

I am surrounded by so many people here in Italy who just whip up delicious in their kitchens without even breaking a sweat.

When we've thrown dinner parties where some of our guests are Italian, I've told Jeff flat out that I'm not serving Italian food.

He loves the Italian food I prepare for him so he was puzzled the first time I shared this rule with him.

I explained it would be like serving fried chicken to Colonel Sanders or teaching a catechism class to the Pope.

I'm just not going to do that!

But ... this pasta dish is different.  I make an exception to my Italian food rule for this dish.

Spicy Bacon Mushroom Carbonara is a beautiful and tasty show stopper.

I would be proud to serve it to the Colonel, the Pope or even an Italian!

 Enjoy!

Bacon Mushroom Carbonara - Spicy!

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Serves	6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish
Slightly adapted from recipe on	Cooks.Com

Spicy Bacon Mushroom Carbonara is a delicious, show-stopping main course. Spicy peppers, smokey bacon, parmesan and mushrooms converge with a delicious creamy sauce. Yum!

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter (divided)
• 8 Ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• black pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup chicken broth or white wine (if needed to help saute the mushrooms)
• ¾ Pound bacon (I use center cut bacon to reduce fat)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup chopped Serrano peppers (or other spicy pepper of your choice)
• 3 Cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan (room temperature)
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 Pound pasta (of your choice. We like a thick spaghetti.)
• ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley

Note

Spicy Bacon Mushroom Carbonara is one of our favorites!

I like to warm up the creamy sauce just a little so that it doesn't cool off the pasta too much once it is added.  I've adapted this recipe from Cardiac Arrest Carbonara on Cooks.Com.  We like to eat Bacon Mushroom Carbonara with a simple side salad and bread.  This dish is beautiful enough to serve at a dinner party, but don't let that stop you and your family from enjoying it more often! I hope you like it!

Enjoy! - The Recipe Wench

Directions

Saute Mushrooms

Step 1

Melt ¼ cup of butter in large non-stick skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms. Season with black pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper while cooking. Cook until tender and set aside. If more liquid is needed, add little chicken broth or white wine.

Cook bacon

Step 2

Chop bacon into small pieces and cook in cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. (Sometimes I continue cooking the bacon in the microwave to get the crispiness I like.) If you're using center cut bacon, there probably won't be much bacon grease in the skillet. Add a scant tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, if that's the case.

Saute Serrano Peppers and Garlic

Step 3

Add the Serrano peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute then add the peppers and garlic to the mushrooms. (You'll want to reheat this mixture just before the pasta is finished cooking so that it's nice and hot when you mix it in.) Put the remaining ¼ cup butter in the cast iron skillet, turn off the heat and allow the butter to melt while you're cooking the pasta and prepping the creamy sauce.

Cook pasta

Step 4

Cook the pasta to al dente, as directed on the package.

Stage the Creamy Sauce

Step 5

Whisk eggs in medium bowl. Set aside. In a sauce pan over a very low heat, add the heavy cream. Allow the cream to heat up to no more than lukewarm. Whisk in the cheese. Whisk in the eggs Bring this mixture very slowly to lukewarm -- you don't want the eggs to cook in the sauce pan. You just want to warm the sauce up a little.

Assemble this delicious dish!

Step 6

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain, and then immediately add to the skillet with the melted butter. Add the lukewarm creamy mixture to the pasta. Toss well. Add the bacon, mushrooms, peppers, garlic and minced fresh parsley. Toss well. Serve!