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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Ugh! I am out of fresh grated parm! Would it be a huge mistake to make this with dried/jarred parm (the kind they have in pizzerias)? I want to make this tomorrow night but won’t make it to the store until later in the week.
It is really up to you but I highly recommend using freshly grated Parmesan to obtain the best results possible.
this did tonight and it was yummy, I didn’t change anything!!
The eggs scrambled a bit. How do I prevent this? Still was delicious.
Your heat source may have been set too high.
I’m all in with everyone else who loves your site. So glad I found you!
loving your recipes. was able to download recipes before and enjoying them.
recently , it is coming through as a blank page.
Can you help
Internet Explorer has recently made some updates that are causing print problems. I recommend using a different browser, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. But if you can only use Internet Explore, you can highlight the recipe, left-click, and print from there. Easy peasy!
Hi Chungah!
This recipe looks so delicious and simple! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I hope you don’t mind I have a two questions-
When you say reserve the fat after cooking the bacon, do you mean leave all the oil/ cooked off fat from the bacon in the pan? Don’t remove any?
Also, when you add the egg/Parmesan mixture do you take the pan off the heat?
Thank you!
Yes, the fat should be reserved in the pan completely. And no, you should not take the pan off the heat for the egg/Parmesan mixture. You need a little bit of heat to ensure that the eggs cook through without scrambling.
How long do you cook after you add the egg?
Andy, there really is no time limit here. As indicated in the directions, you will stir in the pasta and egg mixture and toss to combine. That’s it!
Love this recipe! I used pancetta and added rotisserie chicken to make it a complete meal!
Made it for supper tonight. I did add mushrooms when I was cooking the bacon. It turned out perfect. What a simple but delicous recipe!!!!!
Be sure to use eggs that are at room temperature. If they are straight out of the fridge they will be too cold and will not be cooked by the heat of the pasta. I leave my eggs out on the counter top before before going to work in the morning.
Many people have recommended pancetta and call it italian bacon. It is made from the same belly muscle as bacon but its rolled so the slices are round not long. But the major difference is the taste.pancetta is hung with herbs where bacon is smoked. So the sustitution will change the flavor slightly but will work just fine. Serve with a green salad with a vinegar and oil based dressing wich helps to balance the richness of the carbonara and you have a wonderfull meal faster than pizza delivery
I can’t eat bacon so I used chicken instead. It tasted really good! Definitely will be making it again 🙂
I made this tonight. It was a total hit with everyone, even my 3 year old! I added chicken though, and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
This is the easiest recipe and the fastest carbonara I have tried and it is delicious. I have also made it with pancetta, which is saltier but good. If you need a fast, gourmet dinner on the table, this is it.
Thank you for the recipe. I made it yesterday and liked it.
I pinned a lot of other recipes they look delicious.
Can’t wait to try the recipe. Have a question though, normally for my family I make a 900 gram bag of pasta, so does this mean I have to quadruple everything?
Tracey, 8 ounces is equal to about 226 grams. With 900 grams of pasta, it would be appropriate to quadruple the recipe.
Do you use pancetta or smoked bacon?
Lynn, feel free to use either of these choices – both go great in this dish.
After years of making carbonara, I reserve some of the crispy bacon & sprinkle it on top. Has a nice texture.
I haven’t read all the comments so not sure if this has been brought up. Traditionally with carbonara (I’ve made it a million times), you temper the eggs as to not consume raw eggs. Mixing it with the hot pasta may not cook them all the way. I would suggest tempering the eggs with the pasta water, then adding it to the pasta, and then adding the parm. It is still absolutely fantastic! 🙂
I just made this but instead of pasta noodles i used my spiralizer and used zucchinni…delish! thanks for this amazing recipe that i literally made in 10 minutes flat!
I’d love to try this with zucchini – it sounds amazing!