Let’s take a little Italian break. In between the sweet and aromatic flavors of Fall, I need salty, and in this very busy season, you probably need easy.

This is easy Italian comfort food. This is carbs. This is pasta. This is close your eyes food.

This is a dish you should  eat at least once in your life time, preferably in Italy.

But if you can’t get there this week, let me assure you that this does taste like what I had in Rome, only a little better, because I added some freshly made bread crumbs.

It’s a simple recipe, where it’s key to use very good ingredients.

If you want to know how to cook spaghetti carbonara with bacon, start with good ingredients. 

1. Buy a good spaghetti and cook it al dente. This is healthier, as starches are more slowly digested, and glucose is more slowly released into the blood stream. This is a bigger deal than you think, and eating seriously al dente might bring you pack to pasta. When you eat over-cooked pasta,  you will experience a peak in your blood sugar, and tend to eat more of everything. The Italians eat smaller portions of pasta than Americans which helps to explain why they are so thin compared to us, and they really are. In Rome, spaghetti alla carbonara almost has a crunch to it. We would think it was mistakenly not cooked, but it’s a wise way to enjoy pasta.
2. Use pancetta and fry it nice and crispy, but feel free to use a smokey bacon like Benton’s bacon. I used a little of both.
3. Use authentic Italian cheeses. Freshly grated pecorino romano and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano will combine nicely, but if you must choose one, choose parmigiano-reggiano.
4. Use white wine and be sure to read my notes in the recipe. Wine and hot oil can be dangerous when combined.
5. Use very fresh eggs you buy at a farmer’s market or use pasteurized eggs. (some folks will disagree and think that the link between raw eggs and salmonella is a myth. I just don’t want to take chances with you.
6. Make sure to read the directions carefully, as to not turn the eggs into scrambled eggs.
7. Add the toasted breadcrumbs right at the end and enjoy.

About that Bacon

Pancetta may be called Italian bacon, but it’s quite different. It’s pork belly, not smoked,  cured in salts and spices. It has a pronounced flavor to it which often gives the dish its personality. While you can substitute bacon (for all the right reasons, do find one that has personality like Benton’s Bacon).

One of the more famous pasta dishes in Rome is  Pasta all’Amatriciana, which calls for tomatoes with pancetta and is ever so easy to make. Bolognese has pancetta, a long cooking dish,  this Ground Beef Italian Style, with kale and pancetta takes under twenty minutes.

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How to Cook Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon and Bread Crumbs

A twist on pasta carbonara is tossing toasted bread crumbs at the end.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 8 oz. pancetta bacon, either or, or both (sliced into 1/4” inch pieces)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 large eggs I used pasteurized, but you can use very good farm fresh eggs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
• black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 pound spaghetti

Instructions

• Fry garlic in oil until golden and then discard. Add pancetta (or bacon). I used half bacon and half pancetta, but you can do this anyway you like.
• Once crispy, add wine. Before you do that, lower the heat, so the oil and wine do not form a geyser. Be careful, as you add wine, having a lid in hand. Cook for 1 or two minutes. Turn off heat.
• Break three eggs in bowl you will serving spaghetti. Do NOT add pasta back into pot and add eggs, as eggs will cook.
• Beat eggs and add in grated cheeses, pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley.
• Reserve an extra tablespoon of parsley for garnish (along with a bit of micro greens).
• Cook pasta al dente, drain well. (See notes on cooking pasta)
• Add to bowl with beaten eggs and toss. Reheat pancetta and add to pasta. Serve at once

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I love meatballs. In fact, I love ground beef. I have a friend who hates ground beef, having grown up with in a family of eleven, where ground beef was served too often. Such a shame, for in our family ground beef either meant meatloaf or meatballs and both are glorious comfort foods in my childhood memories.

I can’t eat either of these from other places, because once I tasted my family’s meatballs, I was ruined.

The Right Way to Make Paleo Meatballls

While there is nothing difficult about making meatballs, it’s easier to get them wrong than right. Firstly, a meatball should be tender, not a hard ball. The flavors should be balanced. One shouldn’t bite into a meatball and get a mouth full of filler and garlic. A meatball should be about the meat. I also added pork for flavor and fat.

It must be loosely packed, seasoned well, but not overpowering. I always use 85% lean meat, which still has plenty of fat in it, which mostly bakes off in the oven, where I bake them to medium rare and then place them in the tomato sauce.

Usually, I add a little bread to my meatballs, but today, I made them for those of you out there eating a grain free, Paleo friendly diet. I

I’m eating Paleo friendly food a lot lately, which means grains are out and pasta is nowhere to be seen, at least for a while. I’m a 80/20 eater, which means at two out of ten days a month, I’m probably eating pasta or quinoa, but for right now, I’m grain free, and feeling better eating this way.

No one can really take the bread or pasta away from an Italian permanently, but it’s better for me to at least cut back. I’m almost sounding apologetic and in some ways I am.

When I ate my pasta and bread in Italy, I had no dietary problems or weight issues. It’s here in the states, where I’m bombarded by everything carb and junkie that I lose my resolve, and then need to quickly do something.

Remember,  I LOVE FOOD. Yes, I do. I’m not that person who can eat 1/4 of the cheeseburger, nor can I eat just one meatball.

The smell of meatballs cooking inside of tomato sauce makes me think all’s right with the world, and just because I’m grain free doesn’t mean comfort food is out. I made these meatballs with premium ground beef, two kinds of cheeses, lots of parsley and fresh garlic.

They were baked in the oven and then placed in my homemade tomato sauce to simmer for a few hours.

Instead of spaghetti, I ate them with fresh spinach, but I think next time, I’ll try my melted kale. I still felt like I was eating comfort food, and when others around here ate spaghetti, I didn’t feel deprived eating these homemade Italian meatballs, paleo friendly and gluten free.

You may also like these gluten free chicken meatballs. 

Since this post, I came up with a fantastic grain free dinner roll that works as a slider and I made these meatballs sliders.

My Grandmother’s Tomato Sauce Here

More Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Paleo Recipes

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Homemade Italian Meatballs, Paleo Friendly, Gluten Free

Baked, Paleo Friendly Italian Meatballs, comfort food, grain free, gluten free.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 30

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 3 pounds grass fed beef
• 1 pound ground pork or more beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian Parsley
• 6 cloves garlic finely minced
• sea salt
• pepper
• Homemade Italian Tomato Sauce

Instructions

• Pour milk over ground meat.
• season with salt and pepper
• Add remaining ingredients and very loosely, gently mix together. You don't want the meat to be compacted, as that will make the meatballs tough.
• Form into balls
• Place foil or parchment paper on baking sheet.
• Bake meatballs for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until outsides seems browned.
• Place into tomato sauce to finish cooking for at least one hour.

Notes

Milk: You can skip milk. Do not substitute with almond or coconut milk as it will affect the taste. If you do skip milk and are using grass-fed beef, add a few tablespoons olive oil. Another way to add in some fat and flavor is to add in some chopped proscuitto, about a slice per pound.

 

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