Spaghetti Carbonara Pie

Huddled in a quaint trattoria on what could be any side street, just steps from any Piazza and away from the roar of too many tourists, I find solace in a bowl of peppery pasta. Spaghetti alla Carbonara seems to be Rome’s official dish. Thick chunks of guanciale — a type of bacon cured of pigs’ cheeks — are fried crispy in fragrant olive oil. Al dente, almost chewy spaghetti is added to the pan along with a decadent mix of golden farm eggs, a few extra orange yolks, and aggressively salty Pecorino Romano cheese. After a stupid amount of coarsely ground black pepper is added, the cook must work quickly tossing the strands in the pan, a constant movement meant to thicken the sauce while avoiding a curdled egg.

My idea to turn my beloved Spaghetti alla Carbonara into a “pie” — somewhere between frittata and quiche — was born of several sources. I fondly remember nibbling a “frittata di spaghetti” a crafty, snacky way to use up last night’s already sauced, leftover pasta on a friends farm just south of the Amalfi Coast. I also remember my mother making a kind of crustless “quiche” for breakfast on the weekends which I later found out was a recipe with a cult-like following that was included on the back of the Bisquick box. In the early 1980s, Betty Crocker introduced busy mothers and wives to “Impossible Pies.” With a few cheap ingredients and whatever filling struck your fancy (leftovers were a popular choice), a woman could have a hot homemade dinner on the table in a half hour with about 5 minutes of active cooking time! I also must give credit to America’s Test Kichen who worked their magic on the original recipe and some of these tweaks and improvements made their way into my final recipe.

 

Spaghetti Carbonara Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

 

1 Tablespoon butter softened

7 ounces Pecorino Romano, ground (about 1¾ cups)

8 ounces “thick cut” (about 1/8–inch thick) slices cut into ½-inch matchsticks

4 ounces spaghetti, cooked 1-2 minutes under al dente and cooled to room temperature

2 large eggs and 2 extra yolks

1 cup half and half

½ cup Bisquick

1½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack on the lowest level.

Thoroughly grease a 9-inch glass pie plate with softened butter. Spoon ¼ cup of the ground Pecorino into the greased dish and swirl tapping lightly to completely and evenly coat the bottom and sides of the plate with cheese, as if flouring a pan for a cake.

Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove and drain. Over paper towels.

Sprinkle half of the crispy bacon evenly over the base of the dish, then add all of the cooked and cooled spaghetti, and finish by sprinkling the other half of the bacon.

Meanwhile add the eggs and extra yolks, half and half, Bisquick, black pepper, and remaining cheese to a blender. Blend for 15 to 30 seconds till well-mixed. Pour evenly over the ingredients in the pie plate and carefully place on the bottom rack of the oven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes to lightly golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes and cut into six slices. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Reheats very well in about a minute in the microwave.