Pasta and cooked bacon in a delicious, light sauce, your family is going to ask for seconds when you make this Spaghetti Carbonara recipe!
Don’t be fooled by the fancy name, this easy pasta dish is made with simple ingredients and will be a new favorite in your meal rotation.
Introducing new foods to your kids at mealtime can present many challenges. If these new meals have ingredients that they know and love, you’ve won half the battle.
Today’s recipe is a combination of two kid-friendly ingredients, spaghetti, and bacon, making this a meal that will surely become a family favorite.
Watch how delicious meal is made in a matter of minutes in the video below:
While spaghetti carbonara may seem like a fancy, time-consuming dish, it couldn’t be any easier.
This step by step spaghetti carbonara recipe comes together quickly, all in one skillet, and will taste like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours. Leftovers make a great thermos lunch for both kids and adults alike!
While Carbonara Sauce may seem like a fancy, time-consuming recipe, it couldn’t be easier.
How to Meal Prep Spaghetti Carbonara
Almost any recipe can be made ahead for any meal of the day, including this spaghetti carbonara. You can prepare it for an easy weeknight dinner and save the leftovers for the next day or use the whole recipe to batch-make a hot thermos lunch the family will enjoy.
I like using meal prep recipes that you can cook once or twice a week and when the recipe is done, divide it into portions inside a meal prep container.
It’s an easy way to knock out two meals in one kitchen session, and hot lunches like this pasta make a nice switch from the usual sandwich.
Wish you could have simple recipes and tips like this in your inbox weekly? And not just recipes, but a done-for-you weekly plan with a completed shopping list and meal-prep sheet!
You’re reading this right. Such a weekly plan exists, and you can grab a sample of the MOMables Classic Meal Plan here.
Packing Pasta for Lunch
Before you put the carbonara pasta in a thermos, make sure to reheat it in a microwave-safe dish. Add ¼ cup water per cup of pasta to the dish, give a stir, and microwave on high 1 to 2 minutes. The water helps the Parmesan cheese and cold sauce reconstitute into a creamy, delicious gloss over the noodles.
More Pasta Lunch Ideas
Pasta is one of those foods I can rely on to please even the pickiest of eaters. Here are a few more ways to enjoy pasta for dinner or pack it for lunches.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Easy Spaghetti Carbonara recipe with bacon made in a skillet that kids will love and leftovers are easy to pack for a hot thermos lunch.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound dried spaghetti
- 4 slices of thick-cut bacon, about 4 ounces, cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, over medium high heat, bring water to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook pasta, until al dente. When pasta is ready; reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain pasta, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, saute bacon over medium-heat high.
- When bacon is browned and just beginning to crisp, add garlic and onion. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is brown and crisp and onions are translucent.
- In a separate dish, whisk together eggs,parmesan, pepper and set aside.
- Turn heat to low and add drained pasta to onion, garlic and bacon in skillet. Mix pasta and cooked bacon and pour egg mixture over pasta.
- Working quickly, use tongs to toss and combine pasta with egg, bacon and onions. If pasta is too dry, add a tablespoon of reserved pasta water at a time, until a creamy consistency is reached.This will create a “sauce”.
- Garnish with parsley, black pepper and additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
- To pack for lunch: Warm pasta In the microwave and place Into a warmed thermos.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 397
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 573mg
- Fat: 12.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5.8g
- Carbohydrates: 46.6g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 22.5g
- Cholesterol: 118.8mg
Keywords: pasta lunch, spaghetti thermos lunch, how to pack pasta for lunch
Helen
Love this recipe. Great site too