Roasted garlic carbonara takes the creamy Pinoy classic with bacon and mushrooms and adds roasted garlic, mashed right into the sauce.
Pinoy carbonara and Italian carbonara share a name and not much else. The latter gets its sauce from eggs, pecorino, and rendered guanciale, with no cream added. The Pinoy version is built on all-purpose cream and milk, usually with bacon and mushrooms. This version keeps that cream base and adds roasted garlic.
Roasting turns garlic soft, a little sweet, and more mellow, so it mashes right into the sauce and gives it body without a sharp bite. The sliced fresh garlic adds aroma, so you get both layers in one pan. To roast, slice the tops off the heads, wrap them in foil with a drizzle of oil, and roast until the cloves are soft and golden. Get the pasta and bacon going while the garlic is in the oven. If you're already roasting, throw in a few extra heads. Roasted garlic keeps for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge, or a few months in the freezer. Don't store it covered in oil at room temperature, though. That can grow bacteria that make you sick.
Start the bacon in a cold pan so the fat renders slowly and the bacon crisps without burning. That fat becomes the base of your sauce. Ham works if you want something milder, but it won't render much fat, so add the oil. Canned button mushrooms are the classic Pinoy carbonara move, but fresh ones can give you a meatier bite. Just cook them a little longer, until they release their liquid and start to brown.
Keep your reserved pasta water close. The sauce tightens as it sits, so a splash loosens it back up before serving and when reheating leftovers.
Roast garlic: Slice the tops off both heads of garlic to expose the cloves. Set them on foil, drizzle with oil, and wrap to seal. Roast in an air fryer or oven at 190°C for 30–40 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden. Squeeze out the cloves and mash into a paste.
Boil pasta: Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Render bacon: Place the bacon in a cold pan over medium heat. Cook until the fat renders and the edges turn slightly crisp. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, leaving about 1 tsp of fat in the pan. If the bacon didn't render much fat, add 1 tsp oil.
Build sauce: Lower the heat and add the butter. Cook the sliced garlic until soft and fragrant, without letting it brown. Stir in the roasted garlic paste, then add the cream and milk. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes.
Toss & serve: Return the pasta, bacon, and mushrooms to the pan with ½ cup of pasta water. Toss and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Plate and top with parsley, parmesan, and more cracked black pepper.
