Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe Inspired By the Movie ‘Heartburn’

Our Dinner and a Movie series features nostalgic essays on some of our favorite films from the '80s and '90s paired with recipes inspired from movie moments. Don't miss our essay on Heartburn.

 

In Heartburn, spaghetti carbonara is the first meal Rachel and Mark share, in a romantic and intimate scene early in their relationship, big bowl between them in bed. Rachel’s worried she overdid it by making a complicated dish but Mark extinguishes her fear: “Rachel I love this. When we’re married, I want this once a week.” This spaghetti carbonara recipe was inspired by that memorable scene.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 pinch salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 large eggs and 2 large yolks, at room temperature
• 2 ounces (2/3 packed cup) grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 12 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons (slab bacon sliced into matchsticks)
• 1 pound spaghetti (1 box)
• Freshly cracked black pepper

 

Directions

Place a large pot of water, salted with 1 tablespoon salt, over high heat. Bring to a boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and cheese. Season with a pinch of salt and several turns of freshly cracked pepper.

Place the lardons in a cold skillet and turn the heat to medium. Move the bacon around the pan constantly until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and continue moving the bacon around until it becomes brown and slightly crisp, about 7 to 10 minutes more. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate that has been covered with a paper towel. Drain the pan, leaving only 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Transfer the drained pasta directly to the pan with the bacon fat, stirring over low heat with tongs for 1 minute.

Turn off the heat. Whisk the cheese-and-egg mixture one final time, then pour it over the pasta. Using a wooden spoon, immediately stir the mixture vigorously, until the sauce has developed a glossy sheen that coats the pasta completely. If the sauce is too thick or will not coat the pasta, use a small amount of the reserved pasta water to thin it. Season with salt and more black pepper.

Stir two-thirds of the reserved bacon into the pasta. Spoon the pasta into a giant bowl, top with the remaining bacon and the extra cheese and serve immediately.

Best eaten by the giant forkful or twirled carefully with the help of a spoon.