Spaghetti Carbonara

•1/2 inch olive oil (for frying pan)

•2 cloves minced garlic

•1 chopped onion

•8 to 12 thick slices Italian bacon

•4 eggs

•2 packages spaghetti (I use 2-16 oz packages)

•2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a frying pan, combine 1/2 inch of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, one chopped onion and the Italian bacon cut into small squares. Let simmer for about a half-hour, being careful not to let the oil get to a boiling point.

In a bowl, beat 4 eggs with lots of salt and fresh ground pepper.

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Cook both packages of spaghetti until al dente, drain and immediately add egg mixture to pasta. The eggs are actually cooked by the pasta. (Make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked before proceeding.) Stir the egg mixture until it is well mixed. Pour in the mixture from the frying pan and stir. Finish with the Parmesan cheese and serve!

My notes:

This recipe was featured on Oprah by Tom Cruise.  The day I saw it I just happened to have everything on hand to make it so I tried it out.  It has become a staple in our house.  We absolutely love it.

Italian bacon is not easy to come by at the places I typically shop and I will not drive all over town looking for it, so we just use thick sliced bacon.

Olive oil 1/2 inch deep seems like a massive amount of olive oil.  Yes, I was scared too, but do what it says and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

A couple of times I have also browned a pound of Italian sausage and added it to the olive oil the last 5 minutes of cooking.  It adds more meat to the dish and further pleases the men in my life.

I consistently forget to take a picture of this dish.  So, you'll just have to trust me on this one.  We LOVE it and it has become a regular on the family menu.

The recipe says it serves 4. I'm not sure how much these 4 people are expected to eat, but when I make it, it serves at least 8.  We made it for a recent family gathering and it served 14 with several people going back for seconds.