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Asparagus Carbonara Recipe

Asparagus Carbonara is such a great way to use asparagus. Plus it has bacon. And that makes everything better.

Some weeknights, you just don’t have the energy to make a gourmet dinner. You just want to boil pasta, open a jar of sauce, and get dinner on the table. But what happens when you realize you don’t have any marinara sauce? Carbonara to the rescue. It’s a “sauce” made from eggs and grated cheese. I jazzed this up a little bit and made Asparagus Carbonara because it’s a great combination, but you could skip it and just stick with a spaghetti carbonara.

Either way, it’s delicious.

The key to making carbonara sauce is mixing together the eggs and cheese, then very quickly pour the mixture over the hot pasta. You want to stir the mixture very quickly as it’s going over the pasta so you coat it. If you stir too slowly, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.

The first time I made spaghetti carbonara, I was so nervous that I would end up with scrambled eggs because every recipe I read had a warning, like the one I gave you above. But honestly, it’s not scary, so don’t feel intimidated.

Just be mindful of stirring as soon as you pour the mixture on top of the cooked pasta. Don’t pour it on top, put the bowl in the sink, and then come back to the pasta. Don’t get distracted while you’re coating the pasta and you’ll be fine.

Bundle of asparagus with the words "Budget-Friendly Asparagus Recipes" digitally written on top.

This is one of our favorite asparagus recipes, but it’s not the only one we have on Drugstore Divas.

Be sure to check out our full list of Budget-Friendly Asparagus Recipes.

Asparagus Carbonara Recipe

Asparagus Carbonara Ingredients:

How To Make Asparagus Carbonara:

Bacon cooking in a pan.

Cook the bacon. Set it aside. When it has cooled, chop it into small pieces.

Garlic cooking in a pan.

Chop the garlic cloves and cook them in the bacon grease. Set it aside.

Asparagus cut on a cutting board.

Break the bottoms off the asparagus at its natural break. Cut the asparagus into one-inch long pieces.

Side note: If you cut the asparagus on an angle instead of straight across, it adds a little flare to your dish.

Asparagus in a bowl of water on the stove.

Boil the spaghetti according to the package. With two minutes remaining, throw the asparagus into the hot water.

Drain the spaghetti and asparagus (saving one cup of the pasta water) and put it back into the pot.

Parmesan cheese and two cracked eggs in a bowl.

Mix together the two eggs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top of the spaghetti and stir very quickly.

If your sauce feels thick, add the cup of reserved pasta water to the spaghetti to thin it out.

Asparagus Carbonara is a pot.

Add the bacon and garlic, plus salt and pepper, to the spaghetti and stir everything together.

If you want, you can drizzle a little olive oil on top of the spaghetti. Top with a little more grated Parmesan.

Asparagus Carbonara in a bowl.

Asparagus Carbonara: Frequently Asked Questions

What is carbonara sauce made of?

Traditional carbonara sauce is made from eggs, freshly ground black pepper, and a hard cheese like Pecorino Romano. Then, guanciale is added.

But what home chef has those ingredients at home? None I know.

So, instead of Pecorino Romano, we use Parmesan because that’s a lot more common. And, yes, the tastes are different (Pecorino Romano is a little harder and sharper) but they’re similar enough that you can substitute Parmesan for Pecorino if you’re on a budget.

Guanciale is a cured pork that is not budget friendly. A frugal substitute for guanciale is bacon.

Is carbonara supposed to be creamy?

Carbonara should be a thin, creamy sauce. If your sauce doesn’t come out creamy, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add it in slowly because you don’t want it to cook the eggs and turn them into scrambled eggs.

Is Alfredo sauce used for carbonara?

Alfredo sauce is not used in carbonara. They’re completely different sauces. Both are creamy sauces used in Italian dishes, but the similarities pretty much end there.

Alfredo sauce is made from heavy cream and butter, neither of which you’ll find in carbonara.

If you’re looking for an alfredo, try our Alfredo Sauce recipe.

Do you have to use asparagus?

If you don’t use asparagus, you can’t call this recipe asparagus carbonara. It’s that simple.

If you don’t have asparagus handy, you can use peas instead. That’s a classic carbonara.

Asparagus Carbonara Variations:

If this recipe leaves you wanting a little more, we have a few variations you can try.

Tomato and Asparagus Carbonara

Add sliced grape or cherry tomatoes to the pan with the garlic. Cook them about five minutes until they’re soft. Toss them into the carbonara at the same time as the bacon and garlic.

Chicken and Asparagus Carbonara

Slice chicken breast into chunks and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook it in the bacon grease. When it’s cooked, toss in the chopped garlic and cook that. Add the chicken into the carbonara at the same time as the bacon and garlic.

Asparagus and Pancetta Carbonara

Instead of using bacon, you can use pancetta. That’s an Italian, salt-cured meat made from pork belly. Because pancetta is only salt-cured, it must be cooked before eating. So you do need to cook it before adding it to the carbonara.

A slice of prosciutto bread.

What do you serve with pasta carbonara with asparagus?

A good crunchy bread, like Prosciutto Bread (aka Lard Bread), goes perfectly with asparagus carbonara. So does Cheesy Garlic Dough Balls.

And of course, you can complete your meal with a side salad or something like a garden tomato salad.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta in a bowl with the words "Chicken Parmesan Pasta" digitally written above it.

More Pasta Recipes:

We make a lot of pasta recipes here because they’re easy and filling. This pasta carbonara with asparagus is one of our favorites. A few of our others are:

Yield: 6 servings

Asparagus Carbonara

Asparagus Carbonara is such a great way to use asparagus. Plus it has bacon. And that makes everything better.

Asparagus Carbonara is such a great way to use asparagus. Plus it has bacon. And that makes everything better.

Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 pieces of bacon
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 pound asparagus
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon. Set it aside. When it has cooled, chop it into small pieces.
  2. Chop the garlic cloves and cook them in the bacon grease. Set it aside.
  3. Break the bottoms off the asparagus at its natural break. Cut the asparagus into one-inch long pieces.
  4. Boil the spaghetti according to the package. With two minutes remaining, throw the asparagus into the hot water.
  5. Drain the spaghetti and asparagus (save one cup of water) and put it back into the pot.
  6. Mix together the two eggs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top of the spaghetti and stir very quickly. If the sauce is thick, you can add the cup of reserved pasta water and stir it around.
  7. Add the bacon and garlic, plus salt and pepper, to the spaghetti and stir everything together.
  8. If you want, you can drizzle a little olive oil on top of the spaghetti. Top with a little more grated Parmesan.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 237Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 79mgSodium 702mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 14g

Have you tried this Asparagus Carbonara recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.

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