Quick and Creamy Pasta Carbonara

63 Ratings
  • 5 Rating Star 42
  • 4 Rating Star 14
  • 2 Rating Star 3
  • 3 Rating Star 3
  • 1 Rating Star 1
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This rich pasta toss is great for everyday dinners or special occasions. I can come home from work and throw this dish together in a half hour.

By Big Daddy Cooks
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Ingredients

4
Original recipe yields 4 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain.

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  • Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in pan; set bacon aside.

  • Cook and stir garlic in the remaining bacon grease over medium heat. Add milk, cream cheese, and butter to skillet; stir until smooth. Stir Parmesan cheese, peas, ham, and bacon into cream cheese mixture; cook until peas are heated through, about 5 minutes more. Mix pasta into sauce to serve.

Tip

Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
778.03 calories; 25.28 g protein; 46.72 g carbohydrates; 55.48 g fat; 156.03 mg cholesterol; 975.42 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

Reviews (52)

Read All Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Jayelle
09/03/2012
Made this the other night...can't stop thinking about it. Ten stars. Followed exactly. This stuff is no joke. Will probably have to make it again in a couple days:)
Helpful
(17)

Most helpful critical review

Jodie Baker
06/25/2014
cream cheese took forever to melt and the sauce curdled had to add salt and pepper
Helpful
(2)
63 Ratings
  • 5 Rating Star 42
  • 4 Rating Star 14
  • 2 Rating Star 3
  • 3 Rating Star 3
  • 1 Rating Star 1
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Jayelle
09/03/2012
Made this the other night...can't stop thinking about it. Ten stars. Followed exactly. This stuff is no joke. Will probably have to make it again in a couple days:)
Helpful
(17)
Sarah Jo
11/19/2012
This was a last minute dinner attempt after my original dinner tanked. VERY simple which I appreciated. I did not have ham or peas what I did was throw in a good amount steamed broccoli. I also added a good amount fresh ground pepper. I sprinkled fresh parmesan over each portion before serving. The boys and I inhaled this. VERY good.
Helpful
(15)
emma3308
09/05/2012
Delicious but it does take a long time. I also added pepper to taste
Helpful
(10)
Bradym0823
08/17/2012
Very yummy! Slightly time consuming but well worth the extra effort! I added shredded grilled chicken to mine as well which was a nice added touch.
Helpful
(4)
www.azlbcg.xyz
10/05/2012
I found this recipe with not much in the house to cook and craving pasta. I did not find it time-consuming to cook as others have commented. I had to substitute the Parmesan cheese for shredded "pizza" 5 cheese blend and bacon for ham. It came out super tasty. I'd say a mix b/c spaghetti carbonara and alfredo sauce. Will definitely make again.
Helpful
(2)
louiepxs
08/26/2016
Delicious. Made it exactly as said. To avoid curdling I took it off the heat when it started to bubble and stirred until smooth. Will make again.
Helpful
(2)
Jodie Baker
06/25/2014
cream cheese took forever to melt and the sauce curdled had to add salt and pepper
Helpful
(2)
Holiday Baker
Rating Star
Allstar
08/27/2014
I have never tasted anything of the carbonara flavor. The way I tweaked it I know I am much more off. However the flavor is actually quite good for 5-10 minutes of effort. I made 1/2 recipe and used 3 Tablespoons of real bacon bits cooked in 2-3 teaspoons of grapeseed oil. Removed the bacon and then added the rest of the ingredients using whipped butter (lower calorie) reduced fat milk and 4 triangles of laughing cow lite garlic and herb. It reminds me of cream cheese and I didn't have any. I just threw the peas in frozen. I didn't have ham but it was fine without it. Not a dish I would repeat often as the calories even with the tweaks are still very high. Although it worked well this evening. Without the pasta and with my tweaks 3 servings of the sauce as made above was 245 calories. ty
Helpful
(1)
Lynne Ahearn
08/06/2013
Delish-- As I rule I don't rate or comment on a recipe if I make changes to it but in this case will make the exception.This to me was a marriage of an Alfredo and a carbonara with the bacon. I was looking for something different to make for dinner. I had leftover tortellini salad I wanted to use up and together they worked well. My tortellini salad had a little fresh basil and parsley a few pine nuts red and yellow peppers pepper flake and artichoke hearts. The vinagrette was very mild but it added a touch of brightness to the dish to cut through some of the fat.I did drain some of the bacon fat as there was enough fat in the cream cheese and the extra olive oil from the dressing. I followed the recipe exactly until the point I added the pasta where I substituted the tortellini salad. I warmed the cold pasta salad in the sauce and added cooked bacon and cheese as directed. I did not have any ham and eliminated the peas as well. The artichoke hearts and peppers were there for sweetness and color instead. The changes made were out of desire to use existing product but the actual sauce was as written. I have made again as written and I do cut out some of the bacon fat and add just a touch of red pepper flakes depending on who is home for dinner.
Helpful
(1)
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