Pasta Alla Carbonara

A nutritious and filling version of this classic pasta dish, lighter than the typical American style and adapted for readily available ingredients. No eggs.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb pasta
• 1⁄2 lb bacon
• 3⁄4 cup cheese (containing Parmesan, Romano, and or or Asiago)
• 4  whole cremini mushrooms
• 3  garlic cloves
• 1⁄3 cup  whole milk
•  salt
•  black pepper
•  red pepper flakes
• 1  tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Grate a few big chunks of cheese and mix it together in a bowl. You should have around a cup here but adjust to your liking.
2. Set the bacon up to fry in a cast-iron skillet. This needs to be a BIG skillet. Fry it slow so you have plenty of time to work on the rest of the ingredients. When it's done, set it aside and drain all the grease out of the skillet except for a small amount. The bacon should get done shortly before everything else. You'll need 5-8 strips, depending on how much you like.
3. Put water on to boil for the pasta.
4. Chop up 4 or 5 good-sized mushrooms in whatever size you'd like and mince the garlic.
5. The water should be boiling at this point. Add in the pasta and cook to desired firmness. The pasta will cook further in the skillet so you may wish to boil it for slightly less time than normal.
6. Brown the garlic and mushrooms with a little olive oil in a small frying pan.
7. Add the cooked pasta and a small amount of the water to the cast-iron skillet that you fried the bacon inches There should be a little bit of grease left in there.
8. Add the cheese and milk to the pasta and stir until partially melted.
9. Add the mushroom/garlic mixture to the pasta and crumble the bacon onto it. A bit of the oil from the mushrooms can go in as well but avoid making it too greasy.
10. Serve and season with salt and pepper.