Spaghetti Carbonara
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Ready in 15 minutes with just 5 ingredients. This ultra-easy pasta is packed with crispy bacon and rich Parmesan flavor. Perfect for a quick, satisfying meal!
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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).
Why Spaghetti Carbonara Is a Must-Try Recipe
- 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 Spaghetti Carbonara?
Spaghetti Carbonara is an Italian dish typically made with pasta (most commonly spaghetti), eggs, guanciale (cured pork), hard cheese, salt and pepper.
Spaghetti Carbonara vs Alfredo: Key Differences
Spaghetti Carbonara relies on eggs for its silky texture, giving it a lighter, savory finish. In contrast, Alfredo is richer and creamier, made with butter and heavy cream as its base. Both are delicious, but their flavors and textures are distinct.
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 for Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara
- 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 making spaghetti Carbonara
Frequently Asked Questions about Spaghetti Carbonara:
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).
Pecorino Romano is the classic choice, but Parmesan can be used as a milder alternative.
Yes! Traditional carbonara doesn’t use cream. Eggs, cheese, and pasta water create the creamy texture.
Remove the pan from heat before adding the egg mixture, and stir quickly to create a smooth sauce.
Yes, you can use other long pastas like fettuccine or bucatini, or even gluten-free options.
Pancetta is more traditional, offering a richer, saltier flavor, but bacon works well in a pinch.
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.
Video
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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!!!
Absolutely scrumptious.Enjoyed the coating on the pasta….creamy and cheesy!Definitely will stay in rotation at our house ,yum
Easy to prepare. I may have overcooked the bacon, but it was great!
Awesome recipe so darn good!!
Never combine the ingredients in the pan you have had on the burner. The eggs will cook and harden. Place a stainless steel mixing bowl under your colander and let the pasta water heat the bowl. Discard the water and use the heated bowl to combine all ingredients. Toss for at least two minutes.
Not entirely true, you can achieve authentic good carbonara with adding the pecorino and egg cream to spaghetti and guanciale that are sizzling in the pan.
You simply have to turn off the heat *prior* to adding the egg and cheese cream, otherwise you’re likely end up with scrambled eggs
But there’s no need to add extra steps like that, really
I’ve always been afraid to try carbonara because I was sure I’d end up with scrambled eggs, but holy cow was this easy and delicious! I will admit that I cheated though – I was out of bacon, but I had bacon bits (the soft ones, not the little crunchy ones) so I tossed them in some melted butter in lieu of real bacon with the grease. I tempered my egg mixture with a little pasta water and it came out perfect!
My family loves this recipe and it’s so easy!
This was GREAT
a few things I will change but no big deal
Great simple recipe, it came out delicious and will always use this recipe
Delicious! My first time ever making carbonara. I like a lot of sauce so I added an extra egg and an extra 1/4 cup of Parmesan and it was absolutely delicious. Such an easy recipe and tastes just like a proper carbonara. I chose this recipe as it didn’t contain cream.
Can you use any type of pasta or just Spaghetti?
Nice recipe!
Just a suggestion: can you include metric measurements too for your recipes?
Damn delicious this recipe is quick and awesome and I can’t stop eating !!!!!!!!!
I used a lil pancetta and bacon for some extra taste!!!!!
I’ve been making this recipe for several years and it’s my favorite go-to pasta dish. Incredibly tasty!
Outstanding! I only had this 1 other time and it was prepared by my friend who went to the Culinary Institute of America. Mine was just as good as his and I’m a terrible cook!
So tasty and easy to make!
In the end, it was very good. It was only my 3rd time cooking (I only just started cooking once a week, I’m not even a teenager yet). I didn’t quite get it right because I didn’t work fast enough with the egg, so I put it in the frypan for a while to cook the egg. It tasted amazing and I will definitely make this again one day.