A traditional carbonara is made with an egg-based sauce that only thickens with the addition of hot pasta. This version takes advantage of a bit of cream to make the sauce even richer... and also has one other unorthodox addition in store: ground beef. Carbonara purists may balk, but the beef lends a bit of heft to the dish, making it ideal for a one-pot main course.
Of course, there are a few mainstays of carbonara that can't be modified. One is the technique of cooking the sauce by adding hot pasta (and starchy pasta cooking liquid) to a mixture of beaten egg to cook and thicken it. Be sure to work quickly, or you'll risk curdling the egg, resulting in less of a carbonara and more of a spaghetti scramble!
Spaghetti carbonara with ground beefServings: 6
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients4 slices bacon
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 pound spaghetti
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Directions 1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over high heat until crisp. Set aside to cool, and add the beef to the same skillet. Cook in the bacon fat until browned. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, and add the onion to the skillet. Cook until soft and slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and cheese. Dice the bacon.
5. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta directly to the egg mixture, tossing well to coat. Drizzle in hot cooking liquid as needed until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the pasta.
6. Add the reserved chopped bacon, ground beef, and cooked onion. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
