Reasons Why I'm Not Making More Breakfast Carbonara

Every once and awhile every cook makes something that just does not work. For me, the Breakfast Carbonara was one of those dishes. This is Alton's attempt to lighten the classic carbonara a little using things like whole wheat pasta and encouraging people to carbo load at the beginning of the day rather than the end. I tried it several months back when I first got my copy of EveryDayCook. Never making that again.
I'll pick the top three things that did not work for me here. First, whole wheat pasta. This is not the dish that will convert people into loving whole wheat pasta. Carbonara is a pretty indulgent dish and the toothsome pasta tastes off for it. It reminds me of people trying to convince pork eaters that vegetarian bacon is just as good as the original. Lies.
Second, orange peal. I have discovered through this recipe that while I like lemon in pasta dishes the orange in this one that is meant to evoke fresh squeezed OJ does not combine in a way I like.
Last but not least, bacon. Specifically, there is No Bacon. The bacon gets subbed for breakfast sausage!? I tried it. No. This is a book that contains a recipe for Lacquered Bacon so I know it's not that Alton hates bacon. He just decided to invent a baconless carbonara.

Just for the hell of it I decided to make something else to go with this post. A diffrent lightened take on carbonara, Spaghetti Squash Carbonara. Also not as good as the real thing, but not the disaster described above.

Squash Carbonara, better than whole wheat.

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? No, life is too short.