Spaghetti Carbonara
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The easiest pasta dish you will ever make with just 5 ingredients in 15 min, loaded with Parmesan and crisp bacon goodness!
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This is one of those dishes that comes together in 15 minutes or less with just 5 simple ingredients – spaghetti, bacon, garlic, Parmesan and eggs. A lightening fast weeknight meal yet still fancy enough for date night or weekend company. And if you’re skeptical about the raw eggs, have no fear! It actually gets cooked through completely from the residual heat. Just be sure to work quickly so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs (not that scrambled eggs would be the worst thing in the world here).
reasons to make carbonara
- Weeknight superhero made in less than 30 min
- Super short ingredient list, most of which you probably have on hand
- Restaurant-worthy rich, silky, velvety pasta dinner the whole family can enjoy
what is carbonara
Carbonara is an Italian dish typically made with pasta (most commonly spaghetti), eggs, guanciale (cured pork), hard cheese, salt and pepper.
Carbonara versus alfredo
Carbonara is made with eggs as its primary thickening agent whereas alfredo uses butter and heavy cream for a more richer, creamier consistency.
Ingredients
Spaghetti
Spaghetti pasta is typically used in carbonara as its long strands can easily soak up the silky, creamy goodness but linguine, fettuccine or bucatini can be used as well.
Eggs
Room temperature eggs are key here! It serves as a thickening agent without scrambling, binding with the fat from the bacon (or pancetta) and creating that favorited smooth, silky sauce.
Parmesan
Use hard cheese such as pecorino romano or Parmesan. Pre-packaged cheese contains anti-caking agents that can hinder their ability to melt smoothly. Freshly and finely grated cheese is best here, adding a handful at a time for a smooth consistency.
Bacon
Bacon is more readily available but pancetta or guanciale can also be used for a more authentic carbonara.
Garlic
Although garlic is not traditionally used in carbonara, it will add a lovely boost of flavor.
Parsley
Add your finishing touches with a sprinkle of fresh parsley (or basil).
tips and tricks for success
- Use room temperature eggs. Using room temperature eggs will ensure a smooth, well-emulsified silky consistency (cold eggs can seize when added to hot pasta). To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. According to the USDA, eggs should not be left at room temperature for over 2 hours.
- Make it richer. For an even richer, creamier consistency, use egg yolks only.
- Lower the heat. Working quickly over low heat, stir in the egg mixture, allowing the residual heat from the pasta to cook the eggs gently to yield that velvety, silky sauce. Remove the pan from heat if needed.
- Reserve pasta water. Thanks to the starch in the pasta water, this will help the sauce stick to the pasta as well as thicken the sauce for extra creaminess.
- Halve the recipe. If cooking for 2, say for date night or a romantic night in, this recipe halves very well. Utilize the same cooking time with a smaller cast iron skillet.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Spaghetti Carbonara: Frequently Asked Questions
Spaghetti is a classic choice for carbonara but linguine, fettuccine or bucatini are all great alternatives.
One of the most common reason for scrambled eggs in carbonara is cooking at a high temperature. Lower the heat and add the egg mixture into the center of the skillet over the pasta, avoiding the edges, tossing immediately and quickly to avoid overcooking and scrambling.
Spaghetti carbonara is best served immediately but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, adding a splash of water when reheating (to loosen if needed).
Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan; set aside.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
- Working quickly, stir in pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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This is one of my families favorite pasta meals. My very picky 3 year old even loves it. We will definitely be adding this recipe to our dinner rotation.
Hello, question: if I use 1lb of spaghetti, do I double all the other ingredients? Thank you! I love it recipes and site
This was so easy and delicious! My partner is pretty fussy and he really enjoyed it!
Will definitely be making this again!
Absolutely delicious, 1st attempt slightly scrambled but not noticed by family. Teenage son woofed it down and the commented that good food should be easy to eat and tastes nice, then thank me for a lovely meal. Win win I’d say
Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe! It was quick, easy, and super delicious! I’ve made this dish several times now and everyone in my family loved it. My mother-in-law even said it’s better than the ones in the restaurants 🙂
This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you again for sharing many of your delicious recipes!
very tasty and easy, all i will do next time is add mushrooms
I will be trying this tomorrow. Instead of Pork bacon, can I use Turkey bacon?
Sure! 🙂
Really simple to put together and very tasty!
Excellent recipe! I’ve worked with a 5 Star Italian chef, but forgot how to make it!
I have a family of 5 (3 are hardcore core male athletes, so I had to make more for these “pigs”). I recommend to keeping more pasta water (I ran out & had to use tap H20). I had to added a splash of creamer (half n half) for extra consistency. I used this recipe a month ago & found it again. It’s awesome! Thank you again
Kerri Moltzon – Raleigh, NC
Perfectly filling and tasty, done in 20 mins. Good quick meal for 2 of us using my free range eggs
Absolutely delicious.
Quite easy and it was great
Just made this recipe for the first time and we loved it. It will definitely be one of my go-to recipes from now on. Love the fact that it only takes 15-20 mins. and 5 ingredients! Thanks
Very simple dish to cook. Had this the first time at my friend’s house on vacation. Her mother in law had cooked it and it was so delicious that I was hooked on it. I also love pasta at that or any Italian dish.
I’m not the best cook. This was easy & came out delicious. I used all the bacon grease with my garlic. I used 3 eggs instead of 2 & mixed the parmesan & eggs together first. I added the pasta to the pan that had my garlic & chopped bacon, added 3 tbsp of my pasta water & very quickly added the egg mixture. I also added fresh peas after the egg mixture! Topped with cracked black pepper.
I served it with a side of crusty bread. It was perfect! This is so easy & a keeper!
It’s soooo good! I didn’t even h e to go to the store to make it. I use daily what I had. (Which oddly enough it was the ingredients listed).
I just had a question. Do the eggs cook? Like since it’s just mixed in at the end.
Hi Carla! If you’re skeptical about the raw eggs, it actually gets cooked through completely from the residual heat. Just be sure to work quickly so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe! I struggle with it once in a while and can never find the same one when I look it up online. I’m saving this one. In one of the other recipes I stumbled upon, they added 3 eggs, so I did that this time and it came out better than ever! Thanks!
Easy recipe to follow. Tasted delicious. Will add sautéed onion and some peas next time.
Im going to make this today but after you cook the bacon and cook garlic in bacon grease do you than drain grease or do you stir with spaghetti?
You do not have to drain the excess fat.
I love this! It is one of my husbands favorites. I like to have some sautéed zucchini and squash on the side with it. Sometimes I cut up some fresh tomato in my serving to add some more veggies. I have been coming back to this one off and on for a while. Thank you!
Overall a good recipe
I had a craving for buttered pasta with garlic and decided to take it a step further. Having never made spaghetti carbonara before, this recipe seemed easy enough. I read some of the reviews before I started cooking and found some of the advice useful. I added a few Tbsp of the pasta water to the egg and Parmesan mix to avoid getting scrambled eggs when I added them to the hot skillet. I also put the pasta in first and tossed it with the bacon and garlic before adding the egg and Parmesan. With all that being said, I was delighted with how this recipe turned out and will certainly be making this dish in the future. I might add some sliced cherry tomatoes for a little contrast to the garlic and bacon.