Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I usually cut about 4 slices of bacon into small pieces, brown them til crisp and take them out. At the same time start the spaghetti. To the bacon pan I add mushrooms and garlic. Once the spaghetti is cooked, i put the spaghetti over the mushrooms with the bacon and take it off the heat. On top of that i'll put 1-2 eggs mixed with about 1/2 cup of parmesan. Mix the whole thing up and add lots of black pepper. For me, the bottom will sometimes scramble, but its never really that big of an issue.

I know, I know. I shouldn't even mention the words, but I've used the recipe by (gasp!) Rachel Ray and it's very good. You can find it at the Food Network site. If the link doesn't work, search for "Bacon and Egg Coal Miner's Pasta: Rigatoni alla Carbonara."

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19602,00.html

here's how i do it: {serves two, so double if necessary}

chop a medium onion and a couple of garlic cloves. in a big nonstick pan, saute them slowly in a little olive oil and four slices of chopped bacon until transparent. beat two eggs and add a handful of freshly grated parmesan and some pepper.

when the noodles are done {i like fettucine or pappardelle} drain them and dump them into the pan with the onions and bacon, then add the eggs. mix it with tongs and add a big handful of chopped parsley.

Speaking of onions, here's a recipe from Michel Richard that I heard about while listening to The Splendid Table podcast the other day... it's called Low Carb-o-Nara, where Michel replaces the pasta with onions. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds intriguing, even if I do sort of feel that replacing the pasta is as close a cook can come to heresy.
cookingmonster.com

I absolutely second the suggestion to use pancetta rather than regular bacon. It adds so much more bacony-depth to the dish...

Cooking the Roman Way is a beautiful cookbook filled with photographs and carefully researched recipes that David Downie supplements with relevant historical and cultural background. Don't be put off by the author's name--he knows the city intimately and fills his pages with advice gathered by speaking with chefs, home cooks, market vendors and other natives who know their stuff. (Mario Batali is one of the big names who sing praises for his efforts.)

I am linking his recipe, below, at the end of this post.

No mushrooms. No cream. No wine. No onions--though I love Michel Richard's playful riff on the dish:). If you're someplace like New York, Boston or Philadelphia, seek out guanciale instead of pancetta or bacon (list is in order of preference). A little olive oil. Eggs. Parm. Romano. Salt and pepper. Nothing else, other than the pasta which is penne at the restaurant most closely associated with the dish, though spaghetti is what many of us prefer.

The trick to non-scrambled eggs in sauce is the method used in cooking: crisp your guanciale (or...) cubes in olive oil first. Wait 3 minutes. Then pour in the beaten eggs (1 extra yolk) you've seasoned w a little cheese. Drain pasta. Dump in the pan with all the other ingredients, toss quickly, cover, wait one minute, uncover! Amazing w tons of black pepper and extra cheese.

Recipe alone is worth the book, but as promised, here are the instructions in recipe form:
http://www.ichef.com/recipe.cfm?task=display&itemid=279180&recipeid=110613

Here's a recipe I have tried... it hasn't always worked as I expect it to, but it is tasty. It involves wine vinegar, which sort of turns the milk into cheese. It's from Jeff Smith's The Frugal Gourmet :

1/2 lb. bacon
1 stick butter
1 c milk
2 T wine vinegar
1 lb pasta
2 eggs, whipped
1/3 c fresh grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

Cut bacon into little pieces, and cook in the butter until clear. Heat milk in a small saucepan, and add the bacon and the butter. Add the vinegar; this will turn the milk to cheese. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce cooks smooth.

Prepare your pasta al dente. Drain, and return to the pan. Immediately throw in the eggs, the bacon sauce, and the parmesan. Add salt and pepper, toss and serve.

cookingmonster.com

I swear by the mario batali version from an old episode of molto...I wish I had it with me, because that was from an episode that first inspired me to cook (I was about 14 at the time)...

RIP Jeff Smith

Thanks everyone! I made Mario Batali's recipe tonight and it was a hit!