Spaghetti Carbonara
by Chungah
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Easiest pasta dish using only 5 ingredients. Pasta, bacon, Parmesan, eggs + garlic! Rich, silky, velvety goodness the whole family can enjoy.
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This is one of those weeknight miracle dinners that comes together in just 15 minutes or less with 5 simple ingredients – spaghetti, bacon, garlic, Parmesan and eggs. It’s truly a lightning 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 around here).
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.
Why this spaghetti carbonara recipe works
- Weeknight miracle dinner. This carbonara recipe is an absolute weeknight superhero, made in less than 30 minutes start to finish, making dinner feel so effortless (and fancy).
- Short ingredient list. All we need is a handful of ingredients (5 to be exact) to whip up the best carbonara – pasta, eggs, cheese, bacon and garlic.
- Restaurant-quality. Don’t be fooled by the quick cook time and short ingredient list. We’re talking restaurant-worthy goodness – also known as rich, silky, velvety pasta (no scrambled eggs here!) that the whole family and weekend company can enjoy again and again.
- Flexible recipe. This recipe can easily be halved for date night in or a romantic night for two, pairing with a glass of wine, garlic knots, and a perfect salad.
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).
How to make spaghetti carbonara
- Boil the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserving some of the starchy pasta water.
- Make the egg mixture. While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the eggs and Parmesan until well combined.
- Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon (or guanciale or pancetta) over medium high heat until browned and crispy.
- Toss everything together. Working carefully and quickly, add the pasta and egg mixture, tossing consistently until the pasta is well coated. If the sauce looks too dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Serve. Serve warm, seasoning with salt and pepper, and topping with additional Parmesan.
tools for this recipe
spaghetti carbonara: frequently asked questions
Spaghetti is a classic choice for carbonara but linguine, fettuccine or bucatini are all great alternatives.
No, traditional carbonara does not include cream. The creaminess comes from the emulsion of starchy pasta water, eggs and cheese.
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.
Set aside some of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta – this can be added, a few spoonfuls at a time, to reach that creamy consistency.
For a creamier consistency, use egg yolks only.
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
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Reserve the 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.
- Make it authentic. Bacon is readily available but pancetta or guanciale can also be used for a more authentic-style carbonara. Diced uncured pancetta from Trader Joe’s is a great swap for the bacon here.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. While pre-grated cheese will save a few minutes in the kitchen, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or domestic Parmesan is ideal, creating that smooth, silky, glossy consistency.
- 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. Do not leave the eggs at room temperature for over 2 hours.
- Make it richer. For an even richer, creamier consistency, use egg yolks only.
- Add the egg mixture into the center. Add the egg mixture to the middle of the skillet over the pasta, working carefully to avoid the edges. Toss immediately, quickly and consistently to avoid overcooking and scrambling.
- Lower the heat. Allow the residual heat from the pasta to cook the eggs gently to yield that velvety, silky sauce. Remove the pan from heat if needed.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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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.
It was the first time cooking it and it was delicious some may like it with some cream but it was lovely
Split household on this recipe. I enjoyed it but my wife wasn’t particularly impressed. I will fix this dish again!
I’ve made pasta carbonara often since visiting Italy but this recipe by far is my favorite! Tonight I’m making it for company along with baby back ribs slow cooked with a dry rub
Tonight I’m adding wild caught prawns and broccoli and doubling the smoked bacon garlic and eggs and grated fresh parm and Romano
Making sure the eggs are at room temperature beforehand will help ensure the eggs don’t curdle
I have made this a couple times and its always so good and easy.
Do you remove the bacon grease or leave it? Reserve excess bacon fat is not clear.
Thanks!
You leave the bacon grease to emulsify with the eggs to create the creaminess.
Delicious! Best carbonara recipe for sure. Will use again. Was cooking for my 5 year old also so I kept the garlic cloves whole and just bruised them so I could take it out.
OMG. This recipe for pasta carbonara is not only super easy to make but oh so delicious!! I used pancetta from Whole Foods & Rummo gluten free pasta from Italy because I’m gluten sensitive & it’s the best. Wow. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Love it with steamed broccoli and an extra egg
Cooked this dish for the first time & it was delicious!
Delicious and simple to make. I double the recipe and 2 adults and 2 toddlers almost ate it all.
I think I will definitely need to double also, with three full grown men plus myself to feed 🙂
Have made other recipes for Pasta Carbonara but this recipe is a keeper. Will definitely make it again.
I added peas and used a combination of bacon and prosciutto.
Thanks for this weeknight Carbonara.
You should replace Bacon by Pancetta if possible, bacon flavour is too strong in my opinion. Pancetta is used in the original recipe.
Question! I see it says reserve the bacon fat but I don’t see where to incorporate it back into the recipe. Should you just reserve the excess fat in a jar in the fridge for another future use? Thanks!
I’m so NOT a cook, and I like making easy dishes that require only a few ingredients. I had bacon that I had to cook before it went bad, so I looked for a bacon pasta dish and came across this one. I love that this recipe doesn’t require special ingredients that one has to go out and buy. I forgot to reserve the pasta water, so the noodles ended up looking browner than I expected and a little chewier (I personally liked it) . BUT in the end, all 3 men asked for seconds and asked me to make it again! NOW that is saying something! Thank you!
I think that the recipe means to pour out of the skillet since you are still using it. Not pouring it out would make the dish too greasy. That’s my take
Easy and delicious!
So delicious – and so easy! Thanks!
Very easy to make so tasty. First time making this dish and I nailed it
Why are all your recipes so perfect?! This was amazing and my whole family gobbled it up. It was super easy to throw together and was the perfect comfort food after a long snow day! Thank you!!
Omg. I have been doing this wrong all along. This is perfect!
The eggs will start to scramble with this method. As an aside, I incorporate peas into this dish and I finish with some red chili flake but I like some heat
Turn the burner off before transferring the pasta then put some of the pasta water in the pan and also add a little to the egg/cheese mixture. Keep stirring the pasta when you dump the mixture in the pan and the eggs wont scramble.
To those worried about scrambling, take off the heat, use some water first, stir quickly as you add the mixture, adding water (you’ll probably need more than a Tablespoon) and they won’t scramble. I have several recipes of Carbonara I’ve acquired since first having it in Rome, but this is the quickest & most fail safe. I used thick apple smoked bacon from our butcher and Italian parsley from my kitchen garden that, fortunately, was blanketed by 12” of snow that saved it from the cold.