Spaghetti Carbonara

This Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe is so rich and decadent yet so incredibly easy to make!

Pasta is tossed in a delicious and easy parmesan sauce with savory pancetta. The heat from the pasta cooks the sauce making for a quick and creamy dish in no time at all!

Spaghetti carbonara in a bowl with a fork and spoon

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Ingredients

Sounds fancy, right? Spaghetti a la Carbonara is one of the easiest recipes you can make and it’ll make you look like a master in the kitchen.

This dish adds an uncooked egg mixture to hot pasta and the heat from the pasta cooks the egg mixture making for a rich creamy sauce.

Pancetta adds a delicious salty flavor to this recipe (although it can be substituted with bacon)!
In Italy, pasta carbonara is usually made with guanciale (pork jowl) but it’s hard to find here so we use pancetta (from the pork belly).
Parmesan Cheese is common in North America (as it’s easy to find) although spaghetti carbonara is traditionally made with Pecorino Romano.
A long pasta works well in this recipe but a classic spaghetti carbonara is traditional.

Spaghetti carbonara ingredients on a wooden board

How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara

A pasta carbonara has a creamy sauce with an egg base. The heat from the noodles cooks the eggs so it’s best of the eggs are room temperature and you have it prepared so it can be added to the hot pasta quickly!

Whisk Sauce Whisk eggs, parmesan cheese and black pepper bowl and set aside.
Boil Pasta Cook the pasta until it is ‘al dente’ (not soft, but ‘to the bite which is what al dente means.’).Do not rinse the pasta, the starch helps the consistency of the sauce.
Toss Together Quickly add the egg mixture to the hot cooked pasta and toss to combine. The heat from the pasta will thicken the egg. Add a bit of pasta water if needed to get the right consistency.

Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a little chopped parsley for garnish!

Spaghetti carbonara with bacon and parsley on top

Work Quickly for a Smooth Sauce

Remember that your pasta has to be hot to cook/thicken the egg mixture. If it’s too hot your sauce will not have a smooth consistency (so remove the pan from the heat just before tossing the egg mixture with the hot pasta).

Save one cup of the pasta water because it is starchy and you can use it to adjust the consistency of your sauce if needed.

Add a few tablespoons or so of the reserved pasta water to reach the desired consistency. Cream isn’t traditionally added to carbonara but you can add a small splash of cream if you’d like.

More Italian Favorites

Serve it with a fresh Italian Salad and Homemade Garlic Bread for the perfect Italian inspired meal!

Wine Pairing: Spaghetti Carbonara is a rich pasta dish so the best wine pairings will always be crisp whites like Pinot Grigios or Gris. Let the full-bodied flavors of the eggs, cheese, and garlic take center stage and pair with a light, pear or citrus flavored wine.

Did you enjoy this Spaghetti Carbonara? Be sure to leave a rating or a comment below!

Spaghetti carbonara in a bowl with Parmesan cheese bacon and parsley on top

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Spaghettini carbonara features pasta in a delicious parmesan-egg sauce with savory pancetta.

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Prep Time

minutes

Cook Time

minutes

Total Time

minutes

Servings

servings

Author

Holly Nilsson

Ingredients

▢

1

pound

spaghetti
▢

6

slices

pancetta

or bacon, chopped
▢

2

cloves

garlic

minced
▢

3

eggs
▢

1

cup

parmesan cheese

shredded
▢

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Whisk eggs, parmesan cheese and black pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and add garlic. Cook 1 minute.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Place hot pasta in pan with garlic and toss to coat. Quickly remove from heat and add egg mixture.
Using tongs, mix well adding pasta water if needed. Stir in pancetta/bacon and add parsley/parmesan for garnish.

Notes

Have eggs out and at room temperature before beginning.

Cook the pasta until it is ‘al dente’ or firm.

Do not rinse the pasta, the starch helps the consistency of the sauce.

It’s important that you are prepared as the heat from the pasta cooks the egg.

Add a bit of pasta water if needed to get the right consistency.

4.99

from

353

votes

Nutrition Information

Calories:

437

Carbohydrates:

Protein:

Fat:

Saturated Fat:

Cholesterol:

102

Sodium:

395

Potassium:

241

Fiber:

Sugar:

Vitamin A:

250

Vitamin C:

0.3

Calcium:

227

Iron:

1.6

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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Spaghetti Carbonara garnished with parmesan cheese, pepper and fresh parsley. Spaghetti carbonara with parmesan cheese, pepper and parsley. Spaghetti Carbonara in a bowl with serving spoons on the side.