51 minutes ago, jimb0 said:It was a variation.
There are some classics that when you change the ingredients they completely become something else. I'm afraid I'm a little bit of a purist on this. The hair on the back of my neck goes up when I see recipes or menu items labeled Chicken Caesar, Fettuccine Alfredo with Mushrooms, Salmon Carpaccio. The classic was made one way and one way only and if you change the ingredients, it is no longer that dish.
Adding just one word to the title of the recipe would have made a big difference. They could have called it "Carbonara Inspired Tomato Pasta" and I would have been completely fine with it.
Jimbo was right when he said that a lot of home cooks don't have an opportunity to resource the proper ingredients, but it is kind of sad to think that this is what a whole lot of people will think real carbonara tastes like.