You inspire me every day.
You inspire me to turn my lasagna into a sandwich. You inspire me to turn my bananas into bread. You inspire me to turn my nachos into breakfast.
As long as we’re eating chips and cheese for breakfast… I mean, come on. We’re just a step away from pasta.
This pasta feels a bit like a classic Carbonara. We’re skipping the cream in the pasta and adding it to our coffee. We’re keeping the egg whites and learning how to poach eggs. We’re also adding lots of fresh parsley, lemon juice, and too much cheese (as per usual). Best of all, we’re calling it breakfast (!!), because we can.
If you’re wondering what my past holiday weekend looked like (and you’re probably not), well… you’re looking at most of it. Not pictured: the couch, the dishes, and the fact that this photo was styled to look like two servings when, in fact, I ate both plates because whatever.
I’m sure you did more interesting things with your holiday that probably involved boats, and barbecue, and adventures in Big Sur. I congratulate you… and come bearing pasta.
Let’s get all up in this!
Let’s just deal with the fact that I tied my pasta up with twine to try to make it look cooler for this picture. Clearly it really paid off!
This pasta has some classic lemon, olive oil, herb, and garlic notes. With a mega amount of Parmesan Cheese, it’s basically a fancy, grown-up mac and cheese.
… I shouldn’t have mentioned anything about the twine. I should have just played it cool.
Pasta is cooked to al dente.
Bacon is baked to a crisp in the oven.
Olive oil is warmed with sliced garlic.
Coffee is nice to sip on while cooking. It’s morning. Wine would be weird.
More cheese, please. Let’s not be shy.
Who says you have to mix big bunches of pasta in a bowl?
A rimmed sheet pan will do! No rules.
I love the bright lemon and salty bacon in this pasta! The parsley notes are fresh and the cheese in plentiful.
Can we talk for a moment about poaching eggs? Believe it of not, these are the first two poached eggs I’ve ever made. These are them!
I used this technique from Serious Eats. It’s not about vinegar water, salted water, or simmering water vortexes. There’s a straining method that I think really paid off! I’m into it!
This pasta is like a deconstructed Carbonara: minus the cream, extra lemon. Pasta is breakfast when we say it is. Conversely, you can also totally eat pasta and poached eggs for dinner. Maybe add peas to the mix at dinnertime? This is an anyway WIN!
Breakfast Pasta with Bacon and Poached Eggs
serves 2 and is easily doubled
8 ounces dried spaghetti
4 slices thick-sliced bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
juice of 1 lemon
small handful coarsely chopped parsley
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
salt and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 large eggs, poached
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place uncooked bacon on a single layer atop the foil. Place in the oven and allow to cook until bacon is crisp, 8 to 12 minutes depending on how crisp you like your bacon. Remove from the oven and placed the bacon on two paper towel atop a dinner plate. Allow to rest until cool enough to handle. When cool, chop coarsely.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt to the boiling water and add dry spaghetti. Cook until al-dente then drain.
While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the sliced garlic and cook over low heat until the oil is fragrant and the garlic is just slightly golden. Remove from the heat and add butter. Stir to melt.
In a large bowl, toss together warm drained pasta, garlic oil with butter, lemon juice, parsley, bacon, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Poach eggs, according to your own genius. (Link to egg poaching tips in the post above.)
Divide between bowls and top with egg. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and crushed red pepper flakes. This breakfast is best served the day it is made.
122 Responses
I think you are wonderful. I’m sitting here listening to both my kids play with their friends and when I read your posts, I feel like I’m having a playdate with my friend! Thanks for a lovely morning ;)
Okay, so I made this for our dinner tonight. Love, love, love, the hit of lemon juice. Perfect, and I have some left for breakfast tomorrow…the best of both worlds.
I love this because, as a person with food allergies, I often have to think outside the breakfast box. Love your creativity!
YES YES YES!!! Pasta for breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night, all day!!!
I’m italian so for me pasta is sooo classical, should I be courageous and try it? :)
https://justsem.wordpress.com/
I copied your idea. Don’t hate me!
https://sweetloveandginger.blogspot.com/2013/09/blt-pasta-toss-for-breakfast.html
Never poached an egg in my life. However, I did tonight, and using that method, it was soo easy! Ha, Julie & Julia really got be afraid of poaching.
Not anymore! :)
My boyfriend is obsessed with pasta, and bacon, and breakfast. Welp, looks like we’ll be making this this week! Thanks for sharing!
This is such an interesting idea! Ive never tried pasta for breakfast, looks like thats going to change soon!
Great recipe, can’t wait to try it out?
Not gonna lie… as soon as I read “and the fact that this photo was styled to look like two servings when, in fact, I ate both plates because whatever.”, I died laughing. Up until that point I was all “ooOOOooo who is she making breakfast for, hmm???” (probably because I’m a 12 year old middle schooler on the inside and I like knowing these sorts of things.
You get it girl. Eat that breakfast pasta. You’re owning it all over the place.
Happy weekend to you!
Kasey
You have totally inspired me to eat pasta for breakfast! Love it!! Thanks :-)
PASTA FOR BREAKFAST with bacon omg I’m crying this has revolutionized my life
I just watched a great PBS program about Atlanta restaurants, past and present. One called Alfredo’s heats olive oil with garlic and basil and carries the pan throughtout the restaurant before opening to enhance the smell! Gotta try at my little townhouse!
Your writing is hilarious. Your styling is GORGEOUS. And your food is probably some magical combination of both those things. This looks fab!!
Dear JOY!
I made this for dinner last night, and added some spinach that I sauteed in the bacon grease (ugh, love. bacon. grease.) Spinach on the bottom, then some fresh pasta, a mountain of cheese, gooey drippy egg yolks…it was DELISH!
Thank you so much for inspiring my dinner!
Yay for another excuse for to get more pasta into my system. :-)
Traditional carbonara doesn’t even have cream so this is a perfect reincarnation of carbonara :) Would have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
When you post things like this, it makes me feel like maybe we are culinary soul mates. I’ve always needed an excuse to eat pasta for breakfast. Thanks <3
Yep, you did it. This is so freakin good. Inspired!!
Heidi xo
Matter of fact, this is going to have to be my Saturday breakfast. Really my idea of heaven on a plate
Amazing. I can’t say no to a runny and pasta. For breakfast? Absolutely fantastic idea.
I’m onboard for pasta for breakfast! And lunch, and dinner. This looks great. The twine was definitely a cute touch :)
A near Carbonara dream. Love it.
Where do I sign up to burry my face in this pasta…?
Twine remorse! You kill me! Also, pasta for breakfast! This is why I became a grown up!
Pasta for breakfast? You got me! :D I love eggs and pasta.
https://love-your-ego.blogspot.de
First of all, I love the way you think. Pasta for breakfast? Yes.
Trouble is, I always want something sweet so my mind instantly went to chocolate spaghetti…and also to that scene in Elf where Buddy shoves all that sweet stuff on his pasta and eats it? You know what I’m talking about?? …Yeah? No? I’m weird…aaanyways…
Secondly, I don’t know if you’ve gotten the heads up (or if it’s just me) but about half of the pictures didn’t show up. They just had the “This image isn’t currently available” thing from flickr.
why I’m on a diet? stunning photos! just want to eat!
https://aboutdrama.blogspot.ru/
Joy, that looks delicious, and you inspire me to try new recipes and just be my crazy self.
I’ve been trying to get my friends on the egg-and-pasta bandwagon for forever…fried egg on spaghetti is one of my go-to’s. If this awesome-looking dish of yours doesn’t convince them, nothing probably ever will!
This looks delish – just like a deconstructed carbonara! I’ll definitely be trying this immediately!
I’ve never thought of a breakfast pasta before. And now it’s all I’m thinking about. I’m going to have to try this out soon! Thank you for sharing!
xx
youngmildandfree.wordpress.com
I love savoury foods for breakfast. And occasionally breakfast for dinner. It’s good to switch things up every now and then!
Ms. Sara you were so reading my mind…Hubs loves carbonara and I learned to make the traditional recipe sans cream (TG because hubs is also lactose-intolerant).
Anyway, Joy, I enjoy your blog so much and even though I’m wheat/gluten intolerant I still read it because, well, it gives me so much joy! Keep up the beautiful work!
dear joy,
comments like the one about the twine on the pasta are part of the reason you’re such fun to read.
i mean… let’s just be real, right? we can’t take ourselves too seriously.
exactly! : )
Your writing is addicting. Love the way I feel like I’m talking to a friend – and your honesty is A+ … who doesn’t want pasta for breakfast?! Have a great day & thanks for doing what you do!!
holy crap, joy! YUM. this would certainly be a delicious breakfast — or lunch, or dinner, or linner, or midnight snack. aahhhh!!
Would love to see how you tie together farfalle pasta ;-) Great Sunday morning hangover breakfast Joy, I’m a fan!
Oh, this looks so, so good! Pasta for breakfast (especially when topped with a poached egg) is tops in my book!
Pasta for breakfast – now that’s speaking my language. Plus it has bacon in it, which obviously makes it of the breakfast variety.
Carbonara for breakfast sounds like a most excellent plan. I love the thought of beautiful runny egg yolk coating everything… :)
Pasta for breakfast should be mandatory.
Oh this looks delicious! I used to make polenta with poached eggs all the time. I love how the yolk runs in to the rest of the dish and makes it so creamy! Have you ever heard of Hugo’s in Hollywood? They serve a killer pasta dish for breakfast.
Also, I love your snarky but playful writing style. You’re easy to relate to!
This looks delicious. I might have to try this for dinner since I can’t wait for a weekend breakfast. This is also great for a weekend of heavy physical activity like hiking or biking. The carbs will keep your energy up!
https://liveitinerantly.com
Gurl please, I want my face in this NOW
Loved this post. I don’t know if I’m the wagon with pasta for breakfast, but, hey.. I laughed out loud..while at work! ( thank you for the laughs). Even though you were couch bound and washing dishes, at least you were doing what you love, and what you’re good at! And for that, that deserves a Atta girl! hehe xx
Pasta for breakfast is MORE than OK with me :)
This has to taste amazing. I love to have a poached egg on top of my pasta! Comfort food it is. AND I immediately noticed that you tied your spaghetti up with twine…that was a good one, Joy!
Evidently carbonara is a common hangover breakfast in Italy — I talked to a chef who said that when the runny yolks emulsify with the hot pasta water, it’s sort of a quick hollandaise. Fine instincts, my friend.
This is the best thing to ever happen. Breakfast pasta is the stuff dreams are made of.
I love the idea of breakfast pasta but I’m going to have to wait since I just started a juice cleanse. Can I put bacon in a blender ? LOL
Simmering water vortex. I have so much love for you, Joy.
Also, I have often eaten breakfast pasta. I am all about time-inappropriate foods, especially when I’m off work.
oh dear, i’m afraid i’ve found a new passion…
Pasta + Breakfast…bestill my heart!! What a great idea!
I just moved to Wuhan, China… Definitely saving this gem of a post for a day I’m needing a hearty (non Chinese) breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I’m thinking ingredients wouldn’t be too hard to come by.
gonna try it with spaghetti squash
Yes, I totally agree with that strategy for poaching eggs! I discovered it a couple of years ago and it changed my life… not exaggerating. I love also how you say we’re “skipping the cream and adding it to our coffee”! Very clever, Joy, per the usual!
Dear Joy!
Thank you from Germany for this wonderful recipe. It seems to be exactly the right pasta for my entire family, so I will try it tomorrow. But not for breakfast – we will have it for lunch ;-) Although the guys in here would love to stay in bed and have it there. Tomorrow, it’s our first day in school after 6 weeks of summer vacation……
I love you blog with all the posts, pictures and your special sense of humor.
Wow as someone who loves pasta and loves breakfast, this is perfect! I can’t wait to try this.
I love that you took a picture of a well-used, well loved sheet pan and made it look totally appetizing. And kind of badass. Makes me feel better about the appearance of my sheet pan!
be proud of your well-loved sheet pans!
Love this! What a great idea!
Hate being this girl, but you’ve got a typo in the recipe directions in the garlic / olive oil neighborhood. Just before “Stir to melt” you mean add Butter not Garlic.
Looks delish, btw, and so wish I had the poaching tips this weekend when I attempted to make proper Eggs Benedict for my girlfriends.
all fixed up! i appreciate it! thanks!
wow, time for a 10 k run! As the weather turns inward, I have been going through an eggs benedict phase.
I would be happy to eat this at ANY time of the day! I’m more than guilty of eating leftover pasta for breakfast–pesto, tomato, you name it, if its in the fridge, I’ll eat it. Somehow seeing pasta on a baking sheet makes it sound even more appealing to me!
Laughed out loud at the pasta + twine comment. Oh the silly things we do for photos–I once poured sushi rice on a tabletop and used my fingers to spell out “sushi”. –> Ridiculous.
haha! the things we do…
That bacon looks amazing! What a unique combination! SO going to try! :)
https://sometimesgracefully.com
This sounds awesome!! The only time I’ve had pasta for breakfast was when I was in China and the hotel we stayed in made up a breakfast buffet of pretty much everything they thought our group of Americans would like…which included Spaghetti! I couldn’t bring myself to eat that, but this sounds so much better!! I’m pretty sure it would be the perfect hangover breakfast (although I’m not sure I could handle poaching an egg while hungover…)
Joy, I think I love you more every time I read a posting! The twine was an inspired touch. :) I like things like that, too!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who like pasta with eggs. Egg yolk is like sauce for lazy people and I love that.
If you want a touch more green with your dish, I often make a little wilted frisee with my eggs, bacon, and pasta, and it is certainly delicious! It is especially tasty if you fry the frisee in bacon fat, which I suppose would make just about anything taste good…
What a delicious looking plate. There’s no two ways to say this – I really want to eat this RIGHT NOW lol.
I love this idea. A few years ago there was a scrambled egg pasta concoction on that show “the best thing i ever ate”. My husband and I ate that about a hundred times before we had to just stop ourselves. This may just be the next pasta addiction.
Dag girl…mmm mmm mmm, my kind of mornin savoriness.
BREAKFAST PASTA!!!!! You are just like me only awesomer.
Breakfast for dinner too! I love this dish!
I am on a juice cleanse for 3 days and this post just made it that much harder!!!
Thanks for the link to poached egg perfection! I can’t wait to try it out!
bless you on that juice cleanse. i admire you!
I do a similar breakfast but I use ramen noodles (Sapporo Ichiban brand). I don’t use the flavor packet, but just use water or chicken broth. Topped with the poached egg and fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese. Different yes, but good is good, it beats the heck out of cold cereal. Smash those breakfast stereotypes JOY!
Gosh could you get any more perfect?! I want to come to you place for breakfast any day. Forget eggs and toast, Pasta is the new breakfast of champions!
Putting an egg on it. Always a good idea.
Pasta, my cryptonite!!! This looks yummy, most definitely a weekend brunch treat :)
You are awesome, Joy! How do you not get fat??
Hi! Interesting approach on traditional carbonara. Not trying to sound like a know-it-all but I am Italian and traditionally carbonara does not require cream. Just eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale (similar to pancetta), and salt and pepper. Italian cuisine is much more simple than most american takes on it. Ciao!
There’s no cream in traditional carbonara, so you’re closer than you think! :)
oh! i’ve seen recipes for carbonara with and without cream. i didn’t realize that the traditional was sans cream. thanks for letting me know!
The freshly ground black pepper is the carbon in the “carbonara.”
Pasta for breakfast…in another world we should be married. Whoa, J/k but I am a pasta nut and this is perfect!
Oh Joy you are speaking my language. Pasta for ALL THE MEALS! Not to mention you’re hitting my soft spot for salty breakfasts! Yep yep, you lady are living life right.
This is the breakfast/lunch/dinner I’ve been waiting for! Could definitely eat pasta for breakfast – after all we eat bread and they are both made with wheat right? I love that you ate both photos!
Interesting, after all the times I’ve had breakfast for dinner, I never thought about dinner for breakfast. I have, however, had Pavlova for breakfast, many times. Because it’s just like having fruit…right?
Deeeeelicious idea, but I’ll plop (oops, I mean plate) it all on top of some julienned kale or spinach. Just ‘cuz. And yes, my weekend did involve a boat, a potlatch and a car show, but not all at the same time.
yuuum. carb overload so early in the morning!
but either way, can’t wait to make this soon!
nap inspiring.
I am in love with the plate that’s got the floral pattern around the edge. So pretty, Joy! You have the best dishes. And styling two plates and getting to have both? That’s the reward for being the cook and the photographer!
The ingredients for carbonara are good in any and all combinations, at any and all times of day. This is an ALWAYS WIN.
This is the perfect food for weird weekend!!! I’m all sorts of into this.
I am so in to throwing eggs on top of not-traditionally-breakfast-foods and calling it breakfast. Definitely have to try this.
I love eating leftover pasta for breakfast, so why not just skip a step and start out with it. I’ve never poached an egg either. I’ll have to give this technique a try. I’m so into this.
Oh my gosh! Wow, so creative and such a genius idea! I love how different this is and also how amazing! Who would not want pasta for breakfast?!?
Oh and the pasta for breakfast in bed sound pretty darn awesome!
Breakfast in bed with pasta sounds like heaven.
oh my goodness BREAKFAST IN BED WITH PASTA!
just what i was looking! been craving for bacon lately and now i have a healthy reason to eat it. mehehehe