Kugel Carbonara

I apologize for the mixed metaphor in the title, but that's what this is: a traditional spaghetti carbonara, but it's baked like a kugel. What could be bad? You know we love both carbonara and kugel, so this was a big hit here. And easy-peasy.

This comes from Faith Durand's new book, Not Your Mother's Casseroles, which I had the pleasure of proofreading last spring. This is part of the "Not Your Mother's" series from Harvard Common Press (including Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and Not Your Mother's Microwave Cookbook), which features new takes on old techniques or equipment. In this case, it's casseroles. Forget about the can of cream-of-whatever soup—we're talking fresh, healthful ingredients here.

Baked Spaghetti Carbonara

1 pound spaghetti
Olive oil
8 slices bacon, cut into 2-inch lengths
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
6 large eggs
1½ cups milk
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 9x13x2" baking pan with olive oil. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and salt the water generously. Cook the spaghetti for about 2 minutes less than recommended by the package directions for al dente. Drain and return to the cooking pot, then toss with a generous amount of olive oil.

2. Place the bacon pieces in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon slowly until it is crispy, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat for an additional 4 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and golden.

3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the white wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the wine is slightly reduced. Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly and whisk in the milk and Parmesan cheese. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, and a generous quantity of black pepper. Add the spaghetti and toss thoroughly. Pour in the bacon mixture and toss again.

5. Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. (At this point the casserole may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Bake for 30 minutes, or until set. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Comments

[Elena]

OK, but what I don't get is, what's the point of not just making it as regular spaghetti carbonara? The fact that you can prepare it ahead of time and then bake it?

[Karen]

Yes, that would be a plus, but this is really a different animal -- it's "set" like a quiche, so the texture is completely different. I think it would be yummy at any temperature, too.

[Tonya Watkins]

Yum, this sounds really good. (And easy! I like easy!)

[Elisson]

You are an evil, evil woman! This is worth making for the name alone, never mind the creamy, bacony goodness.

[Wendy]

"We're talking fresh, healthful ingredients here." Viz. 2 (TWO!) cups (CUPS!) grated Parmesan, 6 (SIX!) eggs, 8 (EIGHT!) strips bacon. But hey, no half-and-half, and it's got a vegetable (garlic), so how could David Kessler object?

All snarkiness notwithstanding, it sounds damn tasty.

[Karen]

I had a feeling someone was going to call me on that. Well, guess what, I didn't eat the whole pan myself. In fact, the 5 of us ate maybe 2/3 or 3/4 of the pan all together. Which means that each of us got maybe 1 slice of bacon, less than 1 egg, and a few tablespoons each of milk and Parm. I served a big, colorful garden salad alongside, and I consider that a healthy meal.

[kate]

If this awesome dish serves 8, I calculate (using fat free milk) that it is 12 WW points per serving. I think I'm going to have to wait for a special occassion...

[Steve]

(deleted rant)

But I will say - BRING IT ON! Cheese, eggs, bacon and all!