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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This was simple and delicious. It was a big hit with our guests. The only tough part was that I quadrupled the recipe, so it was just a lot to manage!
This is a great and easy recipe! I have made it numerous times, following the directions. I just cut it in half for 2 people but delicious every time!
Fab recipe! I doubled up as wanted some for next day. Quick and easy dinner and Was a hit with the hubby. Will definitely be making again.
When you doubled it, did you double the eggs as well?
Was hunting in the fridge and pantry for something to cook for lunch and the options were looking slim, since I’ve put off heading to the grocery store all week. Noticed I had lots of spaghetti noodles and some bacon in the fridge, and a quick Google search pointed me to this recipe.
Was able to put this dish together quickly and easily, and the family (including my picky daughter) devoured it and went back for seconds! I was thankful I had doubled the recipe. It really was damn delicious and oh so easy! Thank you!!!
Hands down fabulous! If you have never tried Pasta Carbonara then this recipe will be the one that you will want to try & definitely keep. I added chopped, frozen kale into the pan along with the garlic in the last couple of minutes. Perfect results on my first attempt at making Pasta Carbonara. Bravo!
I was pretty skeptical about the egg part, but once it was made I realized that it shouldn’t be made any other way! This recipe is perfect, easy, with amazing flavor and the texture is exactly what carbonara should be like. The whole family loved it, and they are picky!
I make this all the time and it is a hit. My husband requests it as well. So much cheaper than going out paying for it.
Awesome recipe so damn good 🙂
Easy and delicious! I added frozen peas to mine 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
Very good and basic recipe. Enjoyed it! Thanks
Super easy and so delicious. I used pancetta instead of bacon, but otherwise followed the recipe. Oh, but I also doubled it — 8 ounces of pasta does not feed any four people I know!
This turned out really good. It’s so easy to make. Followed the recipe exactly. Definitely will be in my meal rotation.
Classic recipe. Clean & simple, as it should be. Guanciale or bacon is fine; just a matter of personal preference.
First time making Carbonara. Reviewer-tips helped it come out perfectly. Here’s how:
I used eggs that were room temperature, in a bowl. Used Parm Regg & some garlic. Made bacon earlier in day & reserved grease in pan. (When recipe says to Reserve Bacon Fat, I believe she means to “save it for cooking in, instead of throwing out after bacon is cooked,” as one would usually do.)
Since bacon grease got cold before I made pasta, I scooped out half for other recipes, and added in some good butter – a couple pats/1 Tbsp or two. This was just personal preference.
When pasta almost ready, I added garlic to the now-warming pan with grease/butter in it.
While stirring constantly with one hand, I drizzled in a small ladle of pasta water (that I waited to cool a bit) into the eggs, tempering them. They “liquided” out well & were fairly tempered/stable after that.
I pulled the pan with fats off burner & scooped pasta from water right into pan, covering pan surface with pasta. I then added the Parm-Regg atop the pasta, added in the bacon I had diced up (saving half for topping; personal preference) & drizzled the eggs mixture over top slowly while beginning to stir/toss, as I put the pan back on the burner on low heat. I poured some extra pasta water in a ball jar (or Pyrex mixing cup?) for any needs or next day emulsification.
Since I had the transferred-pasta’s water in the pan, adding a low heat while stirring helped the sauce to come together into a silky, glossy wrap around each strand of pasta. The tempered eggs performed well; no scrambling.
There were zero problems doing it this way – no scrambled eggs, dryness, nor grittiness…just a perfectly smooth & classically Italian Carbonara sauce/pasta that was mercifully quick to put together.
Obviously, season or add or adjust to each person’s preferences. This is a lovely & pure Carbonara for doing so and is a beautiful result as is.
Great recipe (as are so many here!) and much-appreciatef for its brevity and results! Thank you!
This is so helpful! Thank you for the extra tips!
I wholeheartedly agree with JOANNROSD, this is almost true carabonara, pancetta and aged parmigiano reggiano is always better but when we don’t have those this is a really good substitute! Also disagree with those who do not want to add the eggs in the pan, just remove it from the heat and scoop your pasta directly from the water to the pan, add the egg and cheese mixture and gently stir….add more pasta water a little at a time as you are stirring…perfecto! Eggs will be fine. Thank you!
There is no instruction as to when to add the bacon, Although I just added it with the pasta.
I think the pasta and egg mixture are added to the pan that already contains the bacon. I hope that is helpful.
I added frozen peas to this but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It was fantastic. Definitely going in the rotation for dinner.
Good recipe, won’t be adding the egg to the pan though as the eggs cooked.
This pasta recipe is absolutely amazing! This is definitely my favourite pasta recipe.
I first had spaghetti carbonara many years ago in Rome (home of carbonara) in a several generations old restaurant across from the Vatican, bypassing all the tourists standing in line at the MacDonalds. They used pancetta, which I do if I have it, but for quick and easy, except for the lack of old Roman atmosphere, this is equally pleasing. I do recommend springing for some very good bacon, and imported Parmigiano reggiano, which by definition, has been aged longer. What makes this especially good is that you stuck to the basic ingredients, as Romans do, allowing the simple flavors to shine.Brava!
Easy and yummy. I added onions, Montreal steak seasoning and pepper. Kids loved it.
Canna different cheese be used, like cheddar?
It was kinda bland. I added more garlic more Italian seasoning more salt and pepper. Added nutmeg and oregano and some red pepper. After that it tasted very good.
Made this for dinner last night and we all loved it. Very easy to make and very tasty.
I have been trying to duplicate my sister’s(she has passed away) recipe for this for so long. It’s a great comfort food for me and reminds me of her. This is the closest I have gotten and it was fabulous just as it is written! Thank you for this recipe!
I’ve been basically doing the same for years my only addition is red pepper flakes when frying bacon. Damn delicious!!!