How Chef Emeril Lagasse Turns 5 Ingredients Into A Delicious Dinner For His Whole Family

Emeril Lagasse rose to TV fame after making his name in New Orleans, where he became executive chef of the famous Commander's Palace restaurant at just 23. He featured the Cajun and Creole flavors of his adopted hometown on his cooking shows, winning fans with his enthusiastic delivery, sprinkled with his "Bam!" and "Kick it up a notch!" catchphrases. The celebrity chef went on to build an empire that included hosting more shows, writing nearly 20 cookbooks, and opening many restaurants, owning 10 in the U.S. as of January 2026. However, when he's cooking at home, his family really likes an Italian standby, pasta, including one meal he whips up with just five ingredients.

"With a package of dried pasta, a few slices of bacon (or pancetta), a bag of green peas from the freezer, an egg, and some good Parmesan cheese, I can make one of my family's favorite pasta dishes in no time," Lagasse told Senior Life FYI. It's a variation on spaghetti alla carbonara, adding peas with the pork and swapping in parmesan for the traditional Pecorino Romano cheese. Even though bacon or pancetta are commonly used for the iconic dish, they're also a departure from the classic recipe's guanciale, which is richly flavorful cured pork jowl.

Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of the four iconic Roman pasta dishes, all made with similarly simple ingredients. Cacio e pepe, the late Anthony Bourdain's favorite pasta dish, includes just Pecorino Romano and black pepper, while pasta alla gricia adds guanciale to the same two ingredients. Pasta all'Amatriciana is the only one with tomato sauce, along with guanciale, Pecorino Romano, white wine, black pepper or red pepper flakes, and sometimes onion or garlic.

While Emeril Lagasse's family enjoys pasta, some other favorite dishes naturally take advantage of Louisiana's seafood bounty, like crawfish beignets, shrimp scampi, and fish pouches, as well as Southern flavors such as barbecued ribs and mac and cheese. Others come from Lagasse's background growing up with his Portuguese-American mother, Hilda, in Fall River, Massachusetts, which has a significant Portuguese community. Some of his mother's recipes with that cuisine's flavors they love include chicken thighs with chorizo sausage and olives, a fava bean dish with a marinara sauce, traditional Portuguese sweet egg custard tartlets called pastéis de nata, and a stuffing called recheio at Thanksgiving.

Lagasse and his son E.J., who's also a chef, pay tribute to that heritage and his late mother with a Portuguese restaurant called 34 Restaurant & Bar, which they opened in New Orleans in 2024. Its name reflects that the two are the third and fourth generation of Emerils in their family. The menu includes paellas, salt cod fritters, piri piri chicken, Portuguese blood sausage, and pork and clams; desserts like Basque cheesecake and flan; and Portuguese wines, cocktails, and beer.