Tagliatelle Carbonara with Crispy Mushrooms is the coziest pasta dish for chillier months! It’s unbelievably flavorful, and uses such simple ingredients. The creamy ribbons of tagliatelle pasta get topped with crispy rosemary wild mushrooms – such an amazing combination of flavors and textures! It’s the perfect pasta to make when entertaining guests or when you’re in need of a comforting meal.
(This post is sponsored by Sur La Table. Thank you SO much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)
There’s nothing more nostalgic or comforting to me than a cozy bowl of pasta. Whether it’s making a simple weeknight bowl of roasted veggie pasta, enjoying this incredible tagliatelle carbonara, or the tradition of making my late grandma’s spaghetti and meatballs on Christmas Eve, nothing will ever top pasta in my book.
I’ve felt this way for as long as I can remember – my family really appreciates food, and I grew up with the strong belief that there’s such a strong power in food and the connection it brings us.
Whether it’s sharing a meal, cooking together, or having an impromptu get-together over a cheeseboard and a glass of wine, there’s nothing quite like creating something special and connecting with people you love, around amazing food and drink – especially during the holidays!
Which brings me to chat about the incredible initiative that my friends at Sur La Table are talking about this holiday season – Make More, Gather Often. This campaign resonates so deeply with the values I hold dear, and I’m so incredibly excited and grateful to be collaborating with Sur La Table on this amazing initiative. Their company and Make More, Gather Often was founded on the idea to “Make good food. Invite people. Do it daily.” Which is exactly what I stand for, and why I think this is such a special cause. I’m such a firm believer that having fun in the kitchen, sharing a meal with people, whether it’s casual or more planned out, large or small, should be celebrated.
I’ve been shopping at Sur La Table for years – I source the majority of my props and kitchen tools there – from my linens I use for photography, barware, glasses I use for cocktails, my cast iron cookware, unique flatware, and even a mini indoor grill that I love! And so much more. The quality that Sur La Table offers is hard to beat, and I always have such a pleasant experience in any store I step into.
When my friends at Sur La Table asked me to create a recipe featuring this STUNNING M’passion Copper Mixing Bowl from Mauviel, I was beyond excited. I only own a couple pieces of copper cookware, but this is far beyond anything I’ve ever used in terms of quality, craftsmanship, and just beauty in general. It’s the kind of thing you just want to keep out in your kitchen because it’s just so gorgeous!
Mauviel is one of the world’s premier copper cookware manufacturers, and the unlined copper interior of this bowl is great for mixing a bunch of different ingredients, especially egg whites! My next project is to make swiss meringue buttercream with it (my fave!) and frost my very favorite chocolate cake with it for the holidays. And maybe add some crushed peppermint and dark chocolate shavings to make it festive!
This time however, I knew I had to make a pasta dish, especially because it’s one of my favorite meals to entertain with during the holidays!
Pasta itself holds so many traditions and memories in my family as well – my favorite being the tradition of my brother and I making my late grandmother’s spaghetti and meatballs for Christmas Eve dinner. It’s a 3-day-long process, and it’s one of my favorite days of the entire year. If not my favorite! Even though I was never lucky enough to meet my grandma before she passed, her recipes and this tradition lives on in me and my family. And, I’m named after her!
Even though I’m not sharing her spaghetti and meatball recipe today, I’m sharing this incredibly comforting tagliatelle carbonara with crispy mushrooms and it’s unbelievably delicious. It’s creamy, rich, and texture-filled from the crispy mushrooms and chopped bacon. To add an element of freshness to this otherwise rich dish, I love to top it with chopped parsley and fresh basil leaves. And a heavy handed sprinkle of grated parmesan, because what pasta is complete without it?!
I love using a wild mushroom mix for this recipe, because they’re so flavorful and pretty, but you can use whatever you love! The mushrooms get crisped up in a mixture of the rendered bacon fat (yes please), and olive oil, and then they get tossed with chopped fresh rosemary, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to finish. They’re the perfect flavor-packed texture component to the creamy ribbons of pasta!
I make my carbonara sauce the classic way, with a mixture of eggs, egg yolks, parmesan, salt, and black pepper. I also add a little starchy pasta water to help it come together, and I make sure to keep a bunch of the bacon fat in there too, to add to the creamy richness and texture of the sauce! It’s the BEST.
If you’ve never made carbonara before, the trick is to work quickly.
You want to toss your hot pasta pretty much immediately with the egg-parmesan mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks your eggs and creates a luxuriously creamy sauce! The trick is to make sure your pasta isn’t too hot, or too cold! Sounds complicated, but it’s not. I find that the perfect timing, is to drain your pasta pretty thoroughly, for a good 15-20 seconds, and then pour it into your skillet. Then, you want to immediately pour your egg mixture on top with a splash of pasta water, and start tossing!
The more you toss, the more the sauce will come together, and you can keep adding splashes of pasta water as needed! And handfuls of parm!
Sometimes, I like to keep the pan on super low heat, which sometimes helps the sauce comes together more quickly as well. It really just depends on the temperature of your pasta, and your eggs! Your eyes will be the best judge while making this pasta – the only thing you don’t want to end up with, is scrambled eggs (which means your pasta or pan was too hot!)
Making more memories with pasta is exactly how I want to be spending December.
Whether it’s hosting friends for an impromptu holiday dinner, family for Christmas Eve, or neighbors for a casual potluck. It’s all about enjoying time in the kitchen, making food you love, and sharing a meal with whoever it may be.
My friends at Sur La Table definitely say it best – “From the beautiful and the messy, the simple and the extravagant—what comes from the kitchen is a daily act of generosity.“
I want to know – what are your most favorite food memories? (The best kind of memories, right?!)
And! Don’t forget to tag me @spicesinmydna and @surlatable on Instagram, and hashtag #MakeMore to share those moments with me and my friends at Sur La Table!
Nothing fills me up more than seeing what you guys create in the kitchen.
You can check out the recipe and more on Sur La Table’s site here as well!
Tagliatelle Carbonara with Crispy Mushrooms
Tagliatelle Carbonara with Crispy Mushrooms is the coziest pasta dish for chillier months! It's unbelievably flavorful, and uses such simple ingredients. The creamy ribbons of tagliatelle pasta get topped with crispy rosemary wild mushrooms - such an amazing combination of flavors and textures! It's the perfect pasta to make when entertaining guests or when you're in need of a comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, divided, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound wild mushrooms, sliced*
- 1 pound tagliatelle pasta
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water*
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, until combined. Set aside.
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until bacon is brown and crispy. Remove bacon from pan and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Pour all bacon fat, leaving 1-2 tablespoons in the pan for the mushrooms, into a small bowl or ramekin to use for the sauce later. Set the reserved bacon fat aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and salt the water.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the skillet with the bacon fat. Heat over medium-high heat, and once hot, add the mushrooms along with some freshly cracked black pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes, leaving the mushrooms mostly undisturbed (tossing them only a few times) so that they get deeply golden and crispy. Once they're finished, season with salt and stir in the chopped rosemary. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside in a bowl. Add the bacon fat to the skillet so that it's ready for the pasta!
At this point, your water should be boiling. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions, or until just al dente. Remember to reserve your pasta water (I just scoop a bunch out with a large mug or heat-safe glass measuring cup!) Drain pasta, and quickly pour it back into the pan with the bacon fat. Quickly add the egg-parmesan mixture and a splash of pasta water (start with 1/4 cup) and working quickly, toss the pasta, using tongs, to combine it with the mixture to create a creamy "sauce". Add the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan and keep tossing until combined. Add a splash or two more of the pasta water if it seems like it needs more moisture. Season with freshly cracked black pepper (you likely won't need any salt since bacon and parmesan are salty enough on their own!) and fresh parsley and toss once more. Top with the crispy mushrooms. Serve immediately with extra grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves.
Recipe Notes
*I like to use a wild mushroom blend that I find already packaged at the grocery store, along with some cremini mushrooms. If you can't find wild mushrooms at your store, creminis or white button mushrooms will work just fine!
*It's so easy to forget to scoop out your pasta water - to ensure you don't forget, keep a mug or heat-safe glass measuring cup right next to the pot to remind you!
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