My Slightly Controversial Secret Ingredient for Making Pasta Taste Incredible
This past summer, my kids spent a week at their grandparents’ house. I’m lucky to have in-laws who are able — and willing — to babysit my kids for that long. While I didn’t take time off from work to appreciate the silence and my cleaner-than-usual home, I did indulge by cooking whatever the heck I wanted for dinner. I consider my kids pretty good eaters, but there are a list of things they just won’t touch — namely, certain green vegetables (spinach and kale are off the table) and seafood (unless it’s a fish stick).
As soon as the kids were situated with their grandparents, I dashed to the store and picked up the ingredients to make this anchovy carbonara I had bookmarked for close to a year. It’s loaded with anchovies (which are a fave ingredient of mine), and it was the perfect creamy, fishy (in a good way!) dinner to kick off our week sans kids.
Get the recipe: Anchovy Carbonara
What Makes Anchovy Carbonara So Good
I can’t resist any pasta dish. Whether it’s spaghetti and meatballs or chicken Alfredo, I’ll always say yes. This anchovy carbonara is no exception. It helps that it comes together in just 30 minutes with nine ingredients (all of which are pantry staples).
But what makes this recipe so special is that it uses an entire tin of anchovies to add a divine umami-rich, salty flavor that permeates the whole dish. It’s a smart move, too. Because classic carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale (cured pork jowl), calling for anchovies instead means that it comes together at a fraction of the cost and takes much less effort to procure (there’s only one grocery store near me that carries guanciale, and it’s a 20-minute drive from my house).
Finishing this eggy, cheesy, savory pasta with a shower of crunchy lemon-herbed breadcrumbs cuts through the richness, adding a much-needed brightness to the dish. It was so good that my husband and I went back for seconds and then thirds that night.
Get the recipe: Anchovy Carbonara
Further Reading
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Tuscan Chicken Is the "Most Delicious" Dinner of All Time, Says Everyone Who's Tried It
