Creamy, delicious, and incredibly easy!
Spaghetti carbonara combines crispy pancetta, parmesan cheese, and a creamy sauce made from simple ingredients you likely have on hand.
This Spaghetti Carbonara Is the Best Because…
- The sauce is so rich and creamy and this pasta has lots of flavor.
- Carbonara is made with pancetta or bacon—and you likely have the rest of the ingredients on hand.
- This recipe is quick enough to make for a weeknight meal.
- It’s a simple technique that creates a restaurant-worthy dish at home.
Ingredients for Carbonara
Meat: In Italy, guanciale, which is cured pork jowl or pork cheek, is typically used for pasta carbonara, but it’s hard to find where I live so I use pancetta in place for a smoky salty flavor. If you don’t have pancetta, use bacon in place.
Cheese: While it’s common to use parmesan cheese in North America, traditionally, a spaghetti carbonara recipe is made with pecorino romano cheese. Either works well, I use parmesan as I always have it on hand.
Eggs: Eggs add richness to the sauce and create a creamy (a traditional carbonara sauce does not contain cream). I use whole eggs in this recipe.
Pasta: Any long pasta works well in this recipe; I use spaghetti for a classic spaghetti carbonara.
How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara
- Prep Sauce: Whisk eggs, parmesan cheese, & black pepper in a bowl & set aside.
- Boil Pasta: Cook pasta until it is ‘al dente’. Do not rinse the pasta.
- Toss Together: Quickly add the egg mixture to the hot cooked pasta & toss to combine.
- Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a little chopped parsley for garnish!
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 6 slices pancetta or guanciale or bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese or pecarino ramano
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Set aside.
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In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
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Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain well but do not rinse.
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Add the hot drained pasta to the skillet with the garlic, and toss to coat.
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Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the egg mixture, mixing well with tongs. If needed, add reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
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Add the pancetta or bacon, and toss until combined. Season with additional salt to taste.
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Serve hot, garnished with parsley or additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Ensure eggs are at room temperature before beginning.
- This dish comes together fast. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
- Cook the pasta until it is ‘al dente’ or firm.
- Do not rinse the pasta, the starch helps the sauce cling.
- Add a bit of pasta water if needed to create a creamy consistency.
- Carbonara will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Because of the creamy sauce it is not recommended to freeze.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
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Super delicious! Made it exactly as described minus the parsley because I didn’t have any.
I didn’t care for it. My family thought it was just OK. . it won’t be part of my monthly meals…
Thanks for trying our recipe, Kay!
It was a hit with two picky teenagers with them both going back for seconds! Will definitely be making this again.
This was Fantastic & Tasty and I also used veggie pasta which turned out Great !!!
Garlic ruined the taste for me . It was bitter as hell because of garlic. I will make it without garlic next time, hopefully it will not be bitter.
So delicious! I made this for supper tonight and everyone came back for second ❤️ SWP Employee
Can this be made with Canadian bacon?
It can be, if you prefer it!
It’s not probably blasphemous, but I frequently use Smithfield ham scraps. Not authentic, but delicious!
There is no taste that can compare to fresh carbonara!! A little bit of heaven
Made this a few months ago was fantastic!
Made it again today and used mushroom ravioli was great
Best I ever made!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was so simple and easy! We definitely enjoyed it and will be making it again!