Whole Wheat Spaghetti Carbonara

In our house, pasta is usually topped with red sauce.  Hubs is a big fan of marinara, any type of chunky tomato sauce, and occasionally vodka sauce, if I'm lucky.  Every once in a while, I can convince him to let me make a white sauce, but not often! 

Not only is he a bigger fan of red sauce, but he's got issues with the egg in carbonara sauce.  Now that I'm thinking about it, it's pretty amazing that I got him to eat this dish!  But don't let his opinions deter you from giving it a try- the eggs are cooked by the hot pasta and the sauce gets nice and creamy.  And it's got great smoky flavor from the pancetta.. so good.  

Also, the whole wheat spaghetti makes it healthy.  Trust me.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Carbonara
serves 4
(based on a Martha Stewart recipe)

• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 8 ounces pancetta, chopped (I actually used a mix of pancetta and soppressata, you can also use bacon)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup half-and-half

1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.  Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta water and reserve.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside.  Add some pasta water and whisk quickly to temper the eggs.
4. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add pancetta; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.