Carbonara Frittata

Pasta Carbonara is one of my favorite dishes. Strands of pasta coated in a bacon and egg sauce with a hefty sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan is pure comfort food to me. My love of the classic dish, along with some leftover spaghetti noodles in the refrigerator, led me to create another way to enjoy the flavors of the original in a Carbonara Frittata.

When preparing the recipe, I use my Viking sauté casserole to first sauté the diced bacon, then as the baking dish for the Frittata. The pan is one of my favorites from the line of Viking cookware, and goes from stovetop, to oven to table wonderfully. And, using it in this recipe saves a little cleanup time.

Serve the Frittata as the centerpiece of a hearty, comforting meal. Salad greens topped with sliced tomatoes and your favorite vinaigrette would complete the meal. Or, serve it as the centerpiece of a special brunch, with a fruit salad on the side.

• 8 ounces cooked spaghetti noodles, drained
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, optional
• 1 4-ounce package 6-Cheese Italian shredded cheeses*
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  

Combine ricotta cheese, wine, 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir into spaghetti. Pour bacon and drippings over spaghetti and toss lightly to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again. Place mixture in 9-inch round ovenproof baking dish and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

*1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese can be substituted for the 6-Cheese Italian Shredded Cheeses.