I’ve got a bone to pick with Barilla.

First of all, Kelly and I recently discovered the conspiracy behind their veggie pasta. It’s sold in boxes that are the same size and price as the regular pasta, but they only give you 12 ounces instead of 16. The nerve. It’s like how potato chip bags are only really 2/3 full and they use the excuse that they need air space to prevent the chips from breaking. This theory is not supported when it comes to pasta.

Also, what’s with their commercials? “Cooks perfectly, every time.” Oh, really? So if I throw some Barilla spaghetti in and forget about it boiling away for 2 hours it’s going to be al dente perfection and I can Lady-and-the-Tramp it up romantically with the GS? I think not.

My apologies for putting that image in your head.

I’ve tried almost every brand of whole wheat pasta on the market, and I’ve decided that Mueller is my favorite. The texture is most similar to regular pasta, but with the health benefits and the slightly nutty flavor of whole wheat. So that’s what I used here for this super simple weeknight pasta dish.

Pasta Squarcierella

adapted from The Wanderlust Kitchen

1 lb whole grain spaghetti

4 oz prosciutto

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

2 eggs, beated

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt, freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

As the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the prosciutto then brown in a skillet for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pan, and add a little bit of olive oil. Saute the onion until translucent, then add garlic. Throw the prosciutto back in. If you don’t want to splurge on prosciutto, I guess you could use bacon or (gasp!) deli ham.

Once the pasta is finished cooking, add it to the skillet over low-medium heat. While it is still hot, immediately toss with the beaten eggs until the eggs are spread throughout and cooked through. Toss with Parmesan, then season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. I also added peas to mine because they’re  a major food group for me and I like a little green.

In the time it would take me to figure out how to correctly pronounce “squarcierella”, I could finish off a plate of this pretty easily.