When it comes to carbonara I am generally a purist. It’s something I fell head over heels in love with at first bite and so I always want it just the way I first had it — spaghetti, gaunciale, pecorino Romano, eggs, and plenty of black pepper. NO peas, thank you very much. But when it comes to a casserole inspired by that beloved dish, I can be a little more flexible. Here, some short tube pasta mingles with many of those ingredients in a creamy bake that gives much of the same flavor in comforting casserole form. You can’t argue with the flavor of carbonara and you can’t argue with the comfort of casserole, so while I might call myself a purist, I’m all in on this mash-up.

If you’ve made a baked mac and cheese from scratch before, the process here is pretty on track with that. You start by making a basic bechamel sauce and adding in some white cheddar, pecorino Romano, and Parm to make it definitely cheesy with plenty of depth of flavor. The pecorino is the only thing true to classic carbonara, but I promise you won’t be sad about the others joining the party.

That’s mixed with pasta and cooked bacon and eggs and peas and baked until bubbly and golden brown. Now, I know I said I don’t do peas in carbonara but here where the sauce is more plentiful and a little richer, they add a sweet pop to cut through the richness. It works. I tell you to season to taste with your salt and pepper, but make sure to use plenty of black pepper — it helps to define the dish. Any short pasta will work, but something like a tube or shell catches the creaminess best. If heaven is cheese and carbs, this is heaven in a baking dish, and I have a hunch it might be.