A big bowl of pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods, and I particularly love spaghetti noodles. There’s nothing better than twirling up a big forkful. When I saw that actress Jennifer Aniston shared her lightened-up spaghetti carbonara recipe with PEOPLE, I immediately added it to my list. Here’s how to make her easy recipe, including our best tips for the creamiest sauce.

How to Make Jennifer Aniston’s Spaghetti Carbonara

Here’s a quick look at how to make Jennifer’s fresh spin on carbonara. There’s not a drop of cream in sight.

1. Start by boiling your pasta according to the package directions. Be sure to salt the water. Jennifer shared that she prefers to use gluten-free spaghetti here.
2. While the pasta cooks, sauté turkey bacon and red onion in a large skillet. Once the bacon is crisp (about 10 minutes), stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for about a minute longer. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Toss the hot pasta into the skillet with the cooked turkey bacon mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together one egg, low-fat milk, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Slowly add in about 1/2 a cup of the warm pasta water, stirring constantly.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and toss to coat. Add additional pasta water if the dish seems dry. Season with black pepper and more Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

What Does This Carbonara Taste Like?

If you’ve ever had spaghetti carbonara, you know it’s a very rich dish. Between the guanciale (or bacon), egg yolks, and cheese, the classic is downright decadent. Here the bacon and Parmesan flavors are still front and center without the heavy sauce. One of the things I love most about traditional carbonara is the silky texture of the sauce, and this dish manages to capture that. Don’t skimp on the black pepper at the end; it goes a long way in seasoning the entire dish.

Tips for Making Spaghetti Carbonara

Here are a few tips for making the best pasta carbonara at home.

• Choose a good-quality turkey bacon. The smoke flavor really comes through in the sauce, so you want one that tastes natural rather than artificial.
• This is the place for freshly grated Parmesan. It is essential to the flavor and texture of the finished pasta. Often, pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-clumping ingredients that make achieving the silkiness of the sauce difficult.
• When adding the hot pasta water to the egg mixture, be sure you’re whisking constantly. If you pour it in too quickly without stirring enough, you’ll end up with soupy scrambled eggs rather than a silky sauce.
• Not a fan of spaghetti? Try using any other long pasta. Fettucine, angel hair, and bucatini work well here.

The Verdict on Jennifer’s Carbonara

While this isn’t the carbonara recipe that I would make for a special occasion, it is a really solid weeknight dinner idea. It has all the flavor notes I crave without the heavy feeling after eating. This is definitely the place to use a good quality Parmesan cheese, as it contributes so much to the flavor. I’ve made this a couple of times since we first tested it in the BHG Test Kitchen, and my entire family loves it.