Bacon Jam Carbonara with Burrata

Kitchen Little Essentials

To make this Bacon Jam Carbonara with Burrata, you will need:

A pot for cooking the pasta

A large skillet or pan for the sauce

A mixing bowl ( I LOVE this set)

A chef’s knife

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Dang this was good. I mean, just eyes rolling in the back of your head, everyone goes kind of quiet for a moment, really. stinking. good. (If I do say so myself). But this Bacon Jam Carbonara with Burrata is also very much a “How Bad Can It Be?” sort of recipe situation. The ingredient list is small yet mighty, each element bringing something important to the literal table.

We’ve got smoky, salty bacon. We’ve got nutty, sharp parmesan cheese. There’s tangy tomato paste, sweet balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. I’m obviously not going to forget the garlic (no, not ever) and even though I’m going to list the crushed chili flakes as “optional,” I highly suggest you use them. They add the perfect heat to basically anything without altering the flavor, the way a lot of hot sauces can.

What is Carbonara?

If you’re not totally familiar with spaghetti alla carbonara, then boy are you in for a real treat with this one. Pasta carbonara is an Italian favorite, made from a very humble cast of characters: pancetta or guanciale (pork jowl), eggs, parmesan cheese, pasta, and the starchy pasta water. So, yes. It’s sort of like bacon and egg pasta.

So I thought to myself, as I sat writing recipe ideas for the week … what can I do to mix up the classic carbonara? How to dress it up a little bit, give it a fun twist? One thing I really enjoy doing when I develop recipes is taking one element from the dish and really playing with it, stretching and pulling it out to give it the chance to be all that it can be.

In this case, we’re playing with the bacon. I do really love my job sometimes.

What is Bacon Jam?

Bacon jam was pretty popular there for a while, about 10 years ago or so. But I could honestly care less about food trends – delicious is as delicious does, and I operate on a cravings-based system almost all of the time. Recently a friend of mine was talking about some store-bought bacon jam that she’d enjoyed and then it was like the Big Bang just exploded in my head, this conversation smacking right into my burgeoning craving for carbonara.

Felt meant to be, this one.

Bacon jam is really just the most delicious thing. It’s a sweet/savory mixture of bacon, caramelized onions, tomato, something sweet (maple syrup, sugar, etc.) and other things that serve to add to its splendor. (I’m getting a little loopy just thinking about this, clearly). I thought it would be fun to create a bit of bacon jam in a big skillet and then toss some hot spaghetti in it. Because HOW BAD CAN THAT BE? (see first paragraph).

You could do that and eat the pasta with nothing more, but let me tell you – when you add the eggs and parmesan cheese into the mix and TOSS TOSS TOSS – you wind up with something really exceptional. It’s very creamy this dish, and it’s so so very flavorful. I think you guys are really going to dig it.

How to Serve this Bacon Jam Carbonara

I like serving this just as you see it pictured here, in a deep pasta bowl or plate, with balls of torn burrata nestled down inside. I’ll sometimes tear up some fresh basil, which I always have around in a windowsill somewhere, and I refuse to leave out the crushed pepper flakes. They kind of make the dish.

That said, this would be a great side dish as well, a best supporting actor to any grilled or roasted meat (pork tenderloin?). I also served a big green salad on the side and a killer bottle of Zinfandel with this, and it was a dinner that won’t soon be forgotten.

Enjoy all, and happy Fourth weekend to my American friends! xx

Bacon Jam Carbonara: Here’s the Step-by-Step

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and add the parmesan. Season with 1 TSP salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Set aside for now.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, and be sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain it. 

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over med-high heat until nice and crispy. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate and leave 1 TBSP of the drippings behind in the pan (drain the rest). Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot (or onion) cook until nice and tender; 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, garlic, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and the bacon. Stir to combine and cook for about a minute so the garlic isn’t raw. Turn off the heat.

Add the hot pasta into the pan with the bacon jam mixture and, using tongs, toss to mix. Add some of the hot, bacony pasta mix to the bowl with the eggs (to temper them, increasing their temperature and decreasing the likelihood of them scrambling). Then pour the egg/parm mixture into the pasta. Toss again (toss toss toss) to help a creamy sauce develop, and add in some of the reserved pasta water to help with that, if needed. 

Taste, season with more salt/pepper as needed, and serve with some torn burrata pieces and a sprinkle of crushed chili flakes. 

If you like the looks of this Bacon Jam Carbonara, you might want to check out:

Cheesy Pastas with Breadcrumbs & Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Sage Brown Butter Chicken Piccata with Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Creamless Lemon Cream Angel Hair

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