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!
I have yet another super easy pasta dish for you all today. And the best part about this dish is that you only need 5 ingredients to whip this up! No wait, the best part is the bacon. Yeah, the bacon.
No, but really, this is one of those dishes that comes together in 15 minutes or less with just 5 ingredients of spaghetti, bacon, garlic, Parmesan and eggs. And 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. Plus, with the crisp bacon bits, you just can’t go wrong with this dish!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 large eggs
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can’t wait to make this delicious looking dish! Thanks for sharing recipes.
This looks amazing! From the pictures it looks like you used powder Parmesan cheese. Will this work with fresh grated Parmesan?
Sara, I actually used freshly grated Parmesan so yes, that will definitely be the way to go 🙂
Do you drain the fat after cooking the bacon?
No, there is no need to drain the bacon. You will use the bacon fat to saute the rest of the ingredients and to create a thin layer of sauce.
made this last night-used fetuccini and subbed fresh pecorino romano for the parm-that’s what i had in the house-it was amazing and the hubs said he will request again (and again).
super easy, super delicious, and looked great on the plate. thanks!
I just finished my second bowl of this – it is perfection!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! Spaghetti Carbonara was my favorite dish in Rome and has been while I’ve been living in Florence.
Excellent recipe Chung-Ah! Easy to follow and delicious and flavorful. Thank you so much!
Can I use turkey bacon instead of bacon?
Yes, absolutely.
Do you drain the bacon??
No, there is no need to drain the bacon. You will use the bacon fat to saute the rest of the ingredients and to create a thin layer of sauce.
Step 3 says “Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.”
This is a little confusing, but glad I read the comments!
This looks fabulous!! I love, love, love carbonara, and your photos are gorgeous!
This is one of my favorite indulgences, and I LOVE your easy recipe, Chung-Ah! Pocketing this one to try soon. Thanks for sharing!
I have made this dish a couple times before a long long time ago. I don’t remember I
being this easy. Thanx for the memory refreshed. I like recipe where I will easily have he ingredients on hand.
Everything you post always looks so damn delicious haha. Seriously though the recipes you post are so good.
Ahhhh this looks amazing! As a high mileage elite runner, I am constantly looking for new ways to refuel! This will be a lovely change, and my boyfriend will be in heaven! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I made this tonight for dinner. It is a must try for all. I added peas and a little finely chopped ham I had on hand. Tasty and very fast and easy to make. Good flavor.
Amazing photos in amazing light as always! Feels like I should pick up some strands of the spaghetti with my fingers, off my computer screen! *slurps*
PS: Quick question, would you happen to have another carbonara recipe that has more sauce? That’s how I usually get served my carbonaras where I live (Asia).
Unfortunately, this is the only carbonara recipe on my site at this time.
Thanks for the reply! Shall attempt this really soon nonetheless!
At the restaurant I used to work at, this is how the chef made the sauce….it is saucier and not a genuine carbonara like this one but great none-the-less!
Once you have crisped up the bacon, toss in a bit of chopped garlic and or onion and let it sweat (NOT brown). Add some cream (a cup or 2 depending on what you want) to the pan and let it reduce a bit. Turn off heat. Beat two eggs WELL in a small bowl. Add some of the hot cream to the eggs to temper them. Pour the egg/cream mixture back in the pan. Add the spaghetti, cheese and toss well. You will now have more sauce and it will taste great….but the recipe above is more authentic! Mangia!
I like this version Teri because i like it creamy! Thanks for sharing.
quick question: what kind of cream did your chef use- all-purpose cream? can fresh low-fat milk be used instead?
Jill – low-fat milk will never reduce to make this sauce creamy. It would take heavy cream to work that magic. Heavy cream is healthier, anyway – especially if organic – it has no carbs.
Another way I make it is with about 3/4 cup Half & Half. I beat an egg in the half & half and mix that into the pan that the noodles cooked in. That way the egg is mixed in well and cooks verses scrambles (that use to happen to me a lot before I started adding it to the half and half). Then I add in the bacon and cheese and mix well. Good luck and happy eatings
Sorry Cira but what is Half&Half? Never heard of it before.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Can you just come cook for me in my kitchen alldayeveryday? I’ll pay you in cookies. 😉
I’ll definitely take payment in cookies 🙂
This looks incredible!! This is totally making me rethink my dinner plans tonight. 🙂
I love spaghetti carbonara! Really, I love anything with bacon and eggs 🙂
Carbonara must be one of the best gifts the Italians gave us! So simple yet so delicious. Your pictures are gorgeous!