Smokey Pumpkin Carbonara

I'm just going to come right out and admit that I went a bit rogue here, and broke a few traditional Carbonara rules. But I suppose when you start adding pumpkin puree to the Carbonara, you've pretty much thrown tradition right out the window. With that in mind, I give you Smokey Pumpkin Carbonara!

Ordinarily, Carbonara is nothing more than a tangle of noodles tossed with rendered pancetta, garlic, eggs and parmesan. Super easy, oober satisfying. But as I typically do this time of year, I invent new excuses to cook with pumpkin! So here I've whisked the eggs and parmesan together with plenty of pumpkin puree. But that struck me as a bit too one note.

Rather than cook with pancetta, I opted to fry some bacon. Pancetta and bacon are porky cousins, no doubt. But bacon is smoked. To drive home that smokey point and create some creaminess, I added finely shredded smoked gouda cheese! And when I say "finely," I mean it! Use a microplane to grate the cheese very thinly to ensure it melts beautifully into your sauce the second it hits the hot pasta.

At this point, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I fried some sage for fun Fall vibes. And I topped the Carbonara with a sprinkle of homemade herby breadcrumbs for a bit of crunchy texture.

You're going to love this one, friends. Mangia!

Smokey Pumpkin Carbonara

Ingredients

For the herby bread crumbs

· 2 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed

· 1 tbsp olive oil

· ¼ tsp garlic powder

· Pinch of salt

· ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

For the carbonara

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 4 oz center-cut bacon, sliced into lardons

· Fresh sage leaves, if desired

· 4 large eggs

· ½ cup finely shredded smoked gouda cheese

· ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

· ¾ cup of pumpkin puree

· 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

· ½ cup half & half

· 1 lb fettucine

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· Salt & black pepper

For the breadcrumbs… Tear the bread into a bowl of a small food processer. Pulse until it resembles fluffy bread crumbs. Add the olive oil to a small skillet over medium low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bread crumbs. Allow the crumbs to toast. Periodically stir the breadcrumbs to avoid burning. Once the breadcrumbs are golden brown, remove from the heat and season with garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Once cooled, combine the breadcrumbs with fresh parsley and set aside.

For the carbonara…In a large skillet over medium heat, render the bacon in olive oil. Once the bacon is crispy, remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same skillet add a handful of fresh safe leaves, stems removed, to the hot bacon grease. Fry the leaves on both sides until golden and crispy – about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the fried sage to a small plate lined with paper towels. Remove the skillet from the heat while preparing the sauce and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheeses, pumpkin, nutmeg and half & half until well combined.

Cook the fettucine until al dente per package instructions in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water for the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce.

Heat the same skillet over low. Return the bacon to the pan and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden brown and remove from the heat.

Strain the noodles, and immediately add the fettucine to the pan. Toss to coat with the hot bacon and garlic. While continuously stirring the noodles, slowly pour the egg mixture over the hot noodles. It’s important to pour the eggs over the noodles (rather than the pan) and keep them moving to avoid scrambling the eggs. If a thinner sauce is desired, add a touch of the pasta water to the pan. Season to taste with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper.

Garnish with herbed breadcrumbs and fried sage.

Serves 4

Notes

The amount of salt needed for the sauce will vary greatly depending on the saltiness of your cheese and bacon. You may not need any additional salt at all! Taste a noodle before seasoning and serving.

Use a microplane or rasp to grate the smoked gouda and parmesan. The cheeses must be grated very fine to ensure they melt easily into the sauce.

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the pasta for your favorite GF fettucine - we prefer Barilla or Taste Republic Fresh Pasta. And use your preferred GF sandwich bread, such as Schar or Canyon Bakehouse.