for longer than i care to admit, the silky, creaminess of carbonara pasta eluded me at home. i tended to think cream and milk were to thank for this rich, glossy texture and ended up making batches of alfredo instead.

turns out the answer is eggs. and if you’re squeamish about salmonella this may not be the recipe for you. in theory the eggs cook into a sauce on the hot noodles and with the reserved pasta water, but i’m not convinced it’s quite hot enough to totally eliminate any risk. that being said, i’ve never been sick from this dish so i think the possibility of illness is pretty minimal.

the resulting sauce is totally restaurant-worthy coating the bucatini, which is my favorite pasta for this dish. the noodles are substantial, and yet with the hollow middle they do a fabulous job of sucking up the sauce.

recipe adapted from williams and sonoma.

| ingredients |

6 thick-cut bacon slices or 1/4 pound of pancetta

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper

12 oz. bucatini

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

| method |

sear the chopped bacon or pancetta (pancetta is pictured) on medium-high heat. remove from the pan and set aside in a large bowl.

reduce the heat to low and toss the garlic cloves in the pan and let cook until softened, a couple minutes. remove from pan and add to the bacon/pancetta bowl.

beat the eggs together in a small bowl, and add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.

cook the bucatini per the package instructions, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water prior to draining.

once drained, while the pasta is still piping hot, add the noodles to the bowl containing the bacon and garlic, pour the egg and cheese mixture over top, add the reserved pasta water and stir to combine.

serve immediately garnished with the leftover parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and parsley.