When my kids want pasta, bacon, and corn on the cob for dinner I say Hurray! Let’s all have it. But I one up them by combining everything into one yummy carbonara dish. If you get everything prepped in advance this dish is actually really easy to prepare and OMG, its so good! A complete and hearty meal that everyone will love.
What you need:
4 slices thick bacon
1 zucchini, shredded with a cheese grater
2 ears of corn removed from the cob
3/4 cup loosely packed grated Parmesan cheese
2 room temperature eggs
2 cups cavatappi or ridgy noodle
salt and pepper
Handful fresh basil
First crack two eggs into a bowl and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, if your eggs were cold this will allow them to come up to room temp while preparing everything else. Working simultaneously fill a pot with water to boil two cups of pasta, add about a tsp of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Roughly chop 4 slices of bacon and brown it in a skillet then remove and set aside on paper towels to cool. Drain off most of the bacon fat from the pan but do not clean it. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Remove 1 cup starchy water from the pot before draining the pasta and set it aside. Place corn and zucchini shreds in the pan that the bacon was cooked in and stir occasionally over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. The water from the zucchini should help to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any brown bits and incorporate with the corn and zucchini as you stir. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Now turn off the heat and dump the drained pasta into the pan with the zucchini and corn and stir in the egg and cheese mixture. Stir quickly to get everything incorporated. Add about 1/4 cup of starchy pasta water to the dish to help emulsify the sauce. Depending on how watery the zucchini was that may be enough water or you may need to add in a few more splashes. Keep stirring until you have reached the desired consistency. Add a few cranks of fresh pepper. Stir in the chopped basil. Serve immediately and garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Enjoy!
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