What's Shakin' Bacon?!

      When I first set out to make this dish, I was not excited to try it. I thought, what is so exciting about some pasta with veggies and bacon?  Mind you, bacon and I have an excellent relationship, and I love pasta and fresh veggies, but just mentioning them does not do this dish justice. Something completely magical happens when you toss this Summer Carbonara together. Say it with me, folks, “car-bon-AH-rah.”A carbonara usually consists of spaghetti noodles and bacon, tossed with eggs and parmesan cheese. This variation adds all those yummy vegetables that are so perfect this time of year. Zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, basil…yum! Perfection! For a vegetarian version, you could omit the bacon, but let's face it, that would just be silly! Here’s how to do it:

1.     Cook 16 oz. spaghetti noodles in boiling, salted water. At the same time, place 12 slices bacon on a lightly-greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Both the noodles and the bacon should be ready at about the same time.

2.     While you wait, chop up one large sweet onion, 2 small zucchini (I cut it into fourths lengthwise and then slice the pieces), 1 medium yellow squash, ¼ cup basil leaves, and 4 tomatoes.

3.     In a large sauté pan, pour 2 tbsp. olive oil and toss in the onion, zucchini, squash, and 2 tsp. minced garlic. Cook over medium until veggies are soft and onion looks opaque.

4.     Dump the cooked veggies into your serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

In the same pan, with the heat off, crack in two eggs and whisk them until well-blended. Turn the heat on low, and stir the eggs until they look frothy and yellow, but not yet scrambled. The egg should coat the back of a spoon. **Don't even THINK about omitting the eggs in this dish. That is where the magic happens! I promise, you will not regret it.

5. Drain your noodles and crumble your bacon. Dump the noodles into the same serving bowl with your veggies. Pour eggs over noodles and toss to coat. Stir in 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ tsp. oregano, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil and your bacon. Don’t feel tempted to add much, if any, salt. The bacon and Parmesan add plenty on their own. Toss well and serve!