Ravioli Carbonara

Six months old, adjusted five months. They are, right now, sitting on a blanket on the living room floor together and looking at each other with the expressions of two people who have found themselves in the same waiting room and are not sure if they should make conversation. Owen reaches toward Nora. Nora does not reach back. This will, I suspect, be their dynamic for the next several decades.

September is five weeks away. I have been preparing for it the way I prepare for things: obsessively and in list form. The list has four columns. Column one is school logistics. Column two is baby logistics. Column three is food logistics. Column four is the emotional logistics column, which I started writing and then crossed out because I think that part has to be lived rather than planned.

I have started cooking large batches every Sunday specifically for the freezer, building the supply back up after months of drawing it down. Slow cooker chicken noodle soup, a big pot of chili, three casseroles of baked ziti. Each container labeled with the date and reheat instructions. My future September self will thank my current July self. This is the most loving thing I can do for myself right now: cook enough food in advance that I do not have to think about dinner at 6 PM on a Tuesday in October when I am also grading papers and making lunches and trying to remember where the pacifiers are.

Patty has agreed to watch the twins Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. My mother is doing a four-day childcare week for my children so I can teach other people's children, and she volunteered, and she will do it without complaint, and if you had asked me five years ago what unconditional love looked like I would have given you a philosophical answer. Now I would just say: Patty, 7:30 AM, baby on each hip, ready to go.

The freezer batches will carry me far, but they won’t carry me every night — and what I needed alongside those labeled containers was a recipe for the nights when I haven’t planned ahead, when it’s 6 PM and the twins are fussing and Owen has already pulled Nora’s sock off twice. Ravioli Carbonara is that recipe: it uses store-bought ravioli, comes together in the time it takes to boil water, and feels substantial enough to count as a real dinner after a day of teaching other people’s kids. Column three of the list, consider yourself handled.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) package refrigerated cheese ravioli
6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Whisk the sauce base. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, grated cheese, black pepper, and salt until smooth and combined. Set aside.
Cook the pancetta. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta or bacon until the fat has rendered and the pieces are lightly crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from heat.
Boil the ravioli. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli according to package directions until just tender. Before draining, scoop out at least 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the ravioli.
Temper the egg mixture. Add 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water to the egg and cheese mixture, whisking quickly to warm the eggs without scrambling them.
Combine. Add the drained ravioli directly to the skillet with the pancetta (heat off). Pour the tempered egg mixture over the ravioli and toss gently to coat, adding additional pasta water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce seems too thick. The residual heat will finish cooking the eggs into a silky, creamy sauce.
Serve immediately. Divide among bowls and top with extra grated cheese, cracked black pepper, and fresh parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ravioli Carbonara — The Weeknight Dinner My Future Self Will Thank Me For