This is one of my favorite things to make. I know I say that about a lot of things (that’s mainly because I like to eat), but this really is something I make ALL the time. It has all my favorite ingredients combined into one fabulous dish: cream, pasta, pancetta, butter…so delicious. I’ve made this dish for company with a salad on the side, and it is always a winner.

So this is like traditional carbonara with a few extra things mixed in. In my opinion, while carbonara is fantastic, it can be a little bland. So in my recipe I’ve added shitake mushrooms, lots of cream, and white wine. I chose shitake mushrooms because they have a more meaty texture, and can brown. Sometimes button or bella mushrooms can look limp and colorless, even after they’ve cooked for a while, and I don’t like that. Also, I think the shitake mushrooms are a nice contrast in texture to the silky pancetta and onions.

Spaghetti Carbonara Plus Plus

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 c pancetta, sliced (or bacon if you don’t have any pancetta)
• 1/2 box of thin spaghetti noodles
• 1/2 c white wine, dry wine
• 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 c half and half
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese
• 1 egg yolk

1. Add butter and olive oil to a sauté pan heated to medium-high. Once butter has melted, add the onion, and sauté for about 5 minutes to allow the onion to become translucent. Then add the garlic and shitake mushrooms and cook for another five minutes. Once the mushrooms begin to brown, add the pancetta. The grease from the pancetta will add extra oil to the pan, and help the mixture brown.
2. Add the pasta to a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until it is al dente.
3. Once the mixture is evenly brown, add the white wine, whipping cream and half and half and bring the mixture to a light boil.
4. Add the pasta directly to the sauce. Add more or less noodles depending on how you prefer your sauce to pasta ratio. I like my noodles extra saucy, so I added a little less. Remove the pasta and sauce from the heat, and add the parmesan cheese and egg yolk. Next, using a pasta spoon mix the noodles into the pasta sauce and ensure the egg yolk and cheese are fully incorporated.
5. Serve!