Simple Lightened Up Penne alla Carbonara

I've always been intimidated by pasta carbonara. I have no idea why. It's so easy! I felt like making something quick for dinner on Sunday night and knew I wanted pasta, so I found this recipe and went from there using what I already had in the house.

Penne alla Carbonara

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp of olive oil
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 pieces of turkey bacon
3 oz of whole wheat pasta (I used penne, but whatever is on hand is fine!)

Directions:
1. Boil water
2. Put an egg into a bowl with room temperature or warm water to warm it up a bit (this is so the sauce isn't too cold and doesn't get "shocked" in the hot pan later)
3. Chop the turkey bacon and cook it in a pan coated with nonstick spray. Once it's crispy, transfer to a paper towel.

4. Add pasta to salted water once boiled.
5. Prepare the sauce: whisk the egg, olive oil, cheese and pepper together until well mixed.

6. When the pasta is done, reserve a bit of cooking water in case you need it, and drain the rest.
7. Add the pasta, bacon and sauce into a pan on very low heat. Stir constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. If you need to, add a bit of pasta water to the sauce.
8. Mix until all of the pasta is well coated, and serve!

I ate this with some raw veggies on the side because I needed some greens.

I think this would be awesome with some peas mixed in. I will definitely be adding them next time!