Classic Pasta Carbonara recipe has the best silky sauce made with raw eggs and no heavy cream to create the best creamy sauce paired with simple long pasta.
With how simple to put together this easy carbonara recipe is, it is a good reason to try it out, especially if you love traditional carbonara recipes.
Pasta recipes are always a hit, and with this combination of rich sauce and al dente pasta, you might just have your new favorite go-to recipe for dinner parties.
Serve this delicious dinner recipe with your favorite sides and you will be full in the best way.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Enjoy the your favorite pasta at home with this egg-based sauce and high-quality ingredients to create a perfectly classic carabonara recipe.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Pasta: you will need to use your favorite brand of spaghetti noodles (or desired type of pasta)
- Seasoning: use kosher salt and ground black pepper you have on hand
- Oil: all you need is the olive oil you already have or buy your favorite oil from the grocery store
- Protein: use slices of pork belly pancetta that have been chopped (using bacon could work as well)
- Eggs: you will need a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks in the carbonara sauce
- Cheese: be sure to have freshly grated parmesan cheese for the egg mixture
- Optional topping: freshly chopped parsley is a great topping for this classic Italian pasta dish
How To Make Pasta Carbonara:
Cook the pasta:
- Cook the pasta: cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente or according to the package directions. Do not use more than 1 tablespoon of salt a little salt will do.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the rest of the recipe.
Cook the pancetta:
- Cook the pancetta: Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, until the fat renders the edge of crispiness but not hard. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the carbonara sauce:
- Make the sauce: whisk egg, egg yolks, pre-grated cheese, and salt and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the pasta:
- Assemble: at this point, the pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the cooked pancetta (or cooked bacon). Set it over medium heat and stir for a minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the egg-Parmesan cheese mixture. Gradually add a little water reserved from pasta until the desired consistency is reached. I have not used all the pasta water, but around ¾ of a cup. That is my preference.
Serve:
- Serve pasta warm, garnished with chopped parsley.
Expert Tips:
- Choose the desired type of pasta, but spaghetti remains the iconic pasta for this recipe. A long type of pasta works best with this recipe. Tagliatelle or bucatini are also great long-pasta options. For the short pasta, I recommend penne, rigatoni, or fusilli. This type of pasta is excellent with sauces because its shape holds the sauce well.
- Traditionally, pasta carbonara is made with Guanciale, cured pork cheek. This delicacy is not widely available, and the closest thing to it is pancetta. If you do not have pancetta, you can use bacon. Pancetta has a saltier flavor profile, while bacon is smoky. If you can, try finding smoked pancetta for the best results.
- For the authentic experience, stay away from using garlic, cream, or onion.
- If you plan to use bacon, you will not need any additional fat. In that case, do not use the recommended olive oil from the ingredients list.
Frequently Asked Questions for Making this Classic Carbonara Recipe:
Yes, the heat from adding the pasta cooking water to the sauce, should cook the eggs enough to make them safe to eat.
Be sure to remove the pan from heat when stirring the sauce and to let the pasta water cool down slightly. Then gradually add the pasta water in order to not add to much heat too fast.
Yes, this would become more of a cream base sauce mixed with parmesan cheese. Check out this Spaghetti Carbonara (No Egg) recipe for ideas.
Storage & Reheating Instruction:
Fridge: Combine the leftover pasta and sauce in an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: To reheat this pasta dish, place it in the microwave for 1 minute, and then 30 second increments until you have reach your desired temperature.
What to serve with pasta carbonara:
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls Copycat Recipe
- Cheesy Garlic Green Beans Recipe
- Best Italian Roasted Vegetables Recipe
- Easy Homemade French Bread Recipe
- Olive Garden Breadsticks Copycat Recipe
Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 12 oz. spaghetti, or desired type of pasta
- Salt, to taste
For the pancetta:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 slices pancetta or thick-cut bacon, chopped (around 1 cup)
For the sauce:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For garnish:
- Chopped parsley, as desired
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente or according to the package directions. Do not use more than 1 tablespoon of salt.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe.
Cook the pancetta:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, until the fat renders the edge of crispiness but not hard. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the sauce:
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the pasta:
- At this point, the pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the cooked pancetta. Set it over medium heat and stir for a minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the egg-Parmesan mixture. Gradually add the pasta water until the desired consistency is reached. I have not used all the pasta water, but around ¾ of a cup. That is my preference.
Serve:
- Serve pasta warm, garnished with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Choose the type of pasta you like, but spaghetti remains the iconic pasta shape for this recipe. Tagliatelle or bucatini are great long-pasta options, or for short pasta, I recommend penne, rigatoni, or fusilli.
- If you can’t find pancetta or don’t want to purchase it, you can substitute bacon in its place
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Making this for dinner! Fusilli is misspelled.
Good catch! Thanks for letting us know – we have updated the post.
Rich, creamy, and simple perfection! This classic carbonara is decadent and satisfying.