Spring Vegetable Carbonara

I picked this dish out of the most recent issue of Cooking Light for a number of reasons-first, it looked delicious! No matter how healthy something is, I'm not going to eat it if it's isn't tasty. It's also really healthy and used the asparagus and eggs I got from the farmer's market this weekend. I'm also working on eating less meat, and this only has a few slices of bacon, which lends a lot of flavor without a ton of calories. I also happened to have everything else on hand with the exception of the red pepper and I'm working out cleaning out our cabinets and refrigerator a bit, so it was really a perfect storm of reasons to make this dish. And I definitely didn't regret it! 

If you don't want to spend the money for pecorino Romano cheese, grated Parmesan will work almost as well. I also recommend using farm-fresh eggs if possible since they are much more flavorful than the supermarket ones and will make the sauce richer.
 
Spring Vegetable Carbonara
from Cooking Light, May 2010

makes 4 servings (about 1.75 c. each)

1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
12 oz. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. uncooked cavatappi or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. (2 oz.) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 c. chopped seeded red bell pepper

1. Cook peas and asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 c. cooking liquid. Combine pasta and vegetables.

2.  Combine cheese and the next 3 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add hot cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally.  Remove back from pan, reserving 1 T. drippings in pan. Add bacon to pasta mixture. Cook bell pepper in drippings for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat and stir in egg mixture. Return pan to low heat; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring constantly.