Spaghetti Carbonara

The easiest pasta dish you will ever make with just 5 ingredients in 15 min, loaded with Parmesan and crisp bacon goodness!

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.

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.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Yield: 4 servings

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 20 minutes minutes

The easiest pasta dish you will ever make with just 5 ingredients in 15 minutes, loaded with Parmesan and bacon!

4.9 stars (213 ratings)

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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

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Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

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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