48 Reviews of Easy Ham Carbonara

From: Caryn

On Mar 8, 2002

I am usually very skeptical of recipes that look easy because they often lack flavor. This recipe was a pleasant surprise! It was not only the easiest recipe to make but the flavor was amazing for such a simple recipe; economical too. I used linguine instead of angel hair pasta (a little heartier noodle for my DH), substituted butter for the margarine (a little richer flavor)and used dried parsley instead of fresh (didn't have fresh - 8 teaspoons dried = 8 Tablespoons fresh). I modified one step but only because I was afraid I'd screw up the addition of straight egg yolks to the mixture - I mixed the egg yolks with a portion of the chicken broth. I will definetly make this recipe often in the future- 5 stars.

From: PolarAce

On Apr 9, 2007

What a wonderful recipe. So quick and easy, and with items that most of us have in the kitchen every day. I added a little bit of garlic powder and italian seasoning. Next time I'm going to try it with a little less oil and butter and a bit more broth to see if I can make it a bit lighter. Might also try adding some diced bacon and mushrooms. Thanks for the post, it's a keeper.

From: a_olson82

On Jan 9, 2007

I messed this one up pretty badly! I didn't have a pot large enough to hold the pasta and ham mixture, so I just added the yolks to the bubbling ham mixture, thinking I could pour it over the pasta at serving. What a mistake! The flavor would have been good if i hadn't cooked the yolks at such a hot temperature. It wound up tasting like an enormous noodly omelet! I am guessing it is pretty important to follow the directions as they are on this one!

From: Ann Cecile

On Apr 8, 2002

This recipe is fantastic. Since I had an excellent ham carbonara while in Germany ten years ago, I have been looking for something that came close. This one did! I am inspired to try it with variations such as olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Also, I had a one pound box of angel hair pasta so I doubled the recipe because it seemed like alot of pasta to combine to the single recipe. My suggestion that might make it even better is lighter on the oil and margarine and use more broth. If you want to get really fancy, fresh parmasan and baby peas would be very tasty. One last thing - the fresh parsley made it taste very fresh. Very easy and pleasing for the whole family.

From: Mike McCartney

On Feb 19, 2004

I love this recipe. I have made this with ham, salmon, baby shrimp, and chicken. All were excellent. After several times making this, I have made a couple of small changes. I use Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil. I have been using 1/2 cup of margarine. I cut the heat back alot, and melt the margarine very slowly. I also use 3 egg yolks and 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese. I make sure to keep heating everything until the water is gone, and all that is left is the creamy coating. Thanks again for the great recipe.

From: Ninelives263

On Apr 2, 2006

Had a ham and looked for a quick easy way to use up leftovers. It is a keeper. My super picky children even ate it and wanted more. The only change I made was adding a little italian seasoning and garlic powder to the onions and mushrooms( I added those too) Also, it seemed a touch dry toward the end so in went about 1/3C milk. Perfect. Great flavor, really easy.

From: thecookingPA-C

On Feb 10, 2008

When i first saw the recipe, i thought "it is too easy, it can't be good" and while making it, i was still doubtful, but after eating it---it tastes WONDERFUL!! My family loved it. I used butter instead of margarine and olive oil for the veg oil. Use prepackaged, precooked ham, and this was fairly quick to make.

From: Chef #473597

On Aug 14, 2008

taste was great comfort food. I must have done something wrong becouse it turned into scrambled eggs. I have never had carbonara so I really don't know what it should be. I didn't think it was anything special, won't try again.

From: Aimee67

On Nov 9, 2006

I thought this was great! I did make a few modifications. I sauteed the onions, sliced baby bella mushrooms, and two cloves of garlic in 1 tsp of olive oil (and added some salt & pepper). I only used 2 Tbsps of margarine (and used Smart Balance to help w/ the cholesterol), and added 1/2 package of frozen peas (thawed) when I added the ham. I also followed the suggestions of doubling the chicken broth. I used half of a 16 oz package of pasta. When all was finished and I gave it that "what does this need?" taste, the answer was "Nothing"! Absolutely delicious!

From: Jug O'Mud

On Sep 10, 2008

Great taste and with minimal effort-- a real winner in my book. Subbed butter for margarine and olive oil for sauteeing (2 Tbs). Also, at Step 3, I let the broth cook down a bit over med. low heat before adding pasta. To avoid the "scrambled eggs" effect as noted by another reviewer, I made sure to keep skillet at med low and maintain constant stirring. The yolks blended very well with the noodles (3/4 box thin spaghetti) and turned out great. Sprinkled with dried parsley for garnish. For personal taste, I added a bit of salt and red pepper flakes for an added kick. It has already been requested that I make it again real soon. Thanks.