rosemary mushroom pasta carbonara
The search for an unfussy, creamy pasta dinner is over, kids.
My birthday is tomorrow, and it seems with my advancing years (God, I just aged myself), my enthusiasm for the occasion dwindles more and more. Maybe there’s an unsaid association with the late 20s and impending doom, or unconscious panic about the 30s, or something, but I’m less inclined to anticipate the day than I am to almost dread it. Perhaps some of it is a weird embarrassment I’m developing when I receive gifts. I’m just not good at it anymore. I don’t like asking for things and having something handed to me feels strange.
Either way, I hope to have a nice day, and a nice cake to enjoy assuming I don’t screw it up when I test it today, when you’re reading this. I’ll try to leave my expectations at that.
What I promise you won’t screw up is this simple Rosemary Mushroom Pasta Carbonara. Creamy without milk, a little bit cheesy, scented with plenty of fresh herbs and garnished with easy roasted mushrooms for extra pep. Weeknight dinner done in less than 40 minutes. How about that?
Putting the Carb In Carbonara
The one trick to making a solid carbonara is ensuring the eggs don’t scramble. So long as you work quickly enough when tossing the sauce with the hot pasta, you won’t have an issue with this. Pinky swear.
To start, roast the mushrooms with some olive oil, fresh rosemary, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. The shrooms will moisten and caramelize in the oven during the 15-20 minute baking time. Bomb as hell.
While the mushrooms bake in their electric tanning bed, start up the pasta. The carbonara. I don’t know what part the –onara refers to so don’t ask. Boil a big pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to package directions. When you drain, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Putting the Onara In Carbonara
Again, I don’t know what –onara is, I’m just making shit up.
The sauce is a simple mix of room temperature eggs – 4 of them, the room temperature part is important so be sure to set them out a good while beforehand or soak in warm water for 5-10 minutes prior to use – fresh parmesan, thyme, sage, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Whisk them up in a big bowl. Do this while the mushrooms roast and pasta boils.
Once your pasta finishes, pour in the sauce and toss quickly with the noodles. Move fast, else you’ll have breakfast scrambled egg pasta. That’s not really cute. After a couple of minutes the pasta takes on a glossy texture from the thickened eggs. If the sauce seems too thick for you, thin with a bit of the pasta water. I used maybe two tablespoons for my batch, but you might need more or less.
A lot of people will shake a finger at serving leftovers of any type of carbonara, and while I certainly agree it’s far higher quality straight from the cookin’ pot, I found it inoffensive after a couple days in the fridge. I wouldn’t necessarily meal prep it early in the week for Friday, but a bit of extra won’t kill you if it’s consumed the next day. Unless it’s tainted. Can’t help you there.
Cozy pasta dishes appeal to me lately, perhaps because I went through a cozy pasta dish drought for a long time while I laser focused on marathon training and anything prior. Cheesy French Onion and Mushroom Pasta Bake and Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Pasta are two wonderful noodly dinners to add to your rotation when the carb cravings kick your ass.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
rosemary mushroom pasta carbonara
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed mushrooms, roughly torn
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp ea. kosher salt and pepper, or to taste
- 1 lb pasta
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 lemon, for zest
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, tossing once during cooking time, until golden and starting to crisp.
- While the mushrooms roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan, thyme, sage, lemon zest, pepper, and salt. Pour into the hot pasta and vigorously toss with a pair of tongs, working fast to prevent the eggs from scrambling. The sauce will turn creamy and luscious as you work. If needed, thin the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Divide pasta and mushrooms into bowls. Squeeze an extra bit of lemon juice over each, as desired, and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
