Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Need an impressive pasta dish you can whip up in 30 minutes? Then this Pasta Carbonara recipe could be the answer.
Ingredients (for 4 Servings)
1 lb spaghetti (dried)
½ lb Guianciale (or bacon or pancetta)
1 cup Parmesan or Pericona Romana cheese (grated)
½ cup pasta water (if needed)
4 large eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
Extra Parmesan Pericona Romana cheese for topping
Instructions
This recipe is quite simple with only a few steps. The key is to prepare everything in advance. If you stop in the middle, it can ruin the dish. The pasta needs to be hot when your first add the sauce, or it won’t work.
Ingredient Preparation
Grate the cheese and set aside. Cut the Guianciale (or pancetta or bacon) into small ½ inch pieces and preheat your skillet to a medium-high heat. Get the pasta cooking water salted and bring to a boil on a high-heat burner.
Cooking the Bacon / Pancetta / Guianciale
On medium-high heat, fry your chopped pancetta, bacon, or guianciale for 7-8 minutes until it starts to brown and crisp. Stay by the skillet, and be sure not to overcook.
Whisking Eggs and Cheese
Whisk 4 whole eggs in a bowl until combined. Add in a cup of grated cheese and stir. This mixture will be thick, but you can thin the sauce with the hot pasta water after your pasta has cooked if you prefer.
Cook the Pasta
Cook the spaghetti according to your package instructions. Set aside 1 cup of hot pasta cooking water before draining the spaghetti. Once cooked, gently drain the pasta in a large colander without shaking. You can cook pasta in any stockpot. Yet, a good pasta pot will have some way of helping you drain the water. Normally this is a colander or a self-straining lid. No more dropping all your pasta into the kitchen sink!
Making the Pasta Carbonara
Remove the pasta pot from any heat source. Pour the drained pasta back into your pasta pot, then slowly add your egg and cheese mixture. Simultaneously pour the mixture and constantly stir the pasta. If you do this right, the pasta will gently heat the sauce without scrambling the eggs. If the sauce is too dry, add some pasta water to give it a creamy consistency. Use a slotted spoon to add the pancetta or bacon and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with additional parmesan cheese.
To cook this the authentic Italian way, use:
Spaghetti
Guianciale
Pericona Romana cheese
But the Guicanciale and Pericona Romana can be hard to find outside of Italy. It’s OK to substitute Bacon and Parmesan, respectively.
Now, It’s Your Turn!
Try this out–it’s not a complicated recipe. If you want more information, including some tips and hints, consider checking out the original recipe.
I’m Beatriz Garcia. I really started cooking in earnest with my family, and I want to help you cook tasty, nutritious food as easily as possible.