The creamy richness of an authentic pasta carbonara comes together in just 20 minutes with a few ingredients. The perfect easy dinner; or simple date night or dinner party idea.
A Note from Nora
I love a good creamy pasta – and especially so these spaghetti with an authentic carbonara sauce!
Let me just preface this recipe by clarifying that when I say “authentic” I mean as authentic as I know it to be from my many trips to Italy and my encounters with actual Italian Nonnas. Your Nonna might know an even better way to make it – in which case, please share it with me!
How to Make Pasta Carbonara
Read on for the detailed step-by-step ingredients and instructions, or scroll down for tips and the printable recipe card.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara Video Tutorial:
Ingredients for a Classic Carbonara Sauce:
Carbonara might be an elegant dish, but it only requires a few ingredients and is very quick to make.
You Need:
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley
- ground black pepper
- ½ cup pasta cooking water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8oz diced bacon (OR Pancetta for a very authentic version; though bacon is much more available and not as expensive)
Ingredient Swaps
- use diced ham for a less rich (and not at all authentic) but very budget-friendly alternative
- any pasta shape you like works with this sauce – to be honest, we rarely make spaghetti because we have little kids
- for an extra-rich pasta sauce use 1 whole egg plus 5 egg yolks in place of the 3 eggs the recipe calls for
Equipment Needed to Make Spaghetti Carbonara
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You need the following equipment ready
- a knife and chopping board
- a large pot to cook the pasta in
- a large sauté pan
- a mixing bowl and a whisk
- measuring cups and spoons
- kitchen tongs
By the way, this is my sauté pan I used or the Spaghetti Carbonara in the video above!*
Steps
Spaghetti Carbonara are easy to make as long as you follow the steps carefully:
1 Cook the pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season it with 1 tablespoon water (don’t worry, your pasta will not be overly salty – most stays in the cooking water).
Add your pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Keep going with the next step as your pasta cooks, because you’re going to need ½ cup of pasta cooking water!
2 Prepare the cheese sauce:
Add the eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley and ground black pepper to a mixing bowl and whisk together well.
Remove ½ cup of pasta cooking water from your boiling pot and slowly (!!) trickle it into your egg and cheese mixture while whisking well.
Note: Careful when adding the boiling water to the eggs!
When you add the pasta cooking water to the egg mixture, please do so slowly and whisk continuously. This will ensure a smooth and creamy sauce. If you add the water too fast or don’t whisk well, the eggs will scramble and you won’t have a good sauce.
3 Cook the bacon:
Add the olive oil to a large and deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
4 Finish the Dish
Toss the cooked pasta with the bacon in the skillet (this works best with tongs), then take the pan off the heat.
Keep tossing the pasta as you add the egg and cheese mixture, until the pasta is coated in a silky sauce. Serve immediately!
Nora’s Tips for the Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara:
Serve with extra parmesan cheese, black pepper and chopped parsley for a beautiful and delicious finish.
Use flat-leaf parsley for the best taste – but regular will do, too!
Use a mix of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan, or use all Pecorino Romano for a different twist.
What to serve with Spaghetti Carbonara:
Spaghetti Carbonara is a rich dish, so it pairs well with a leafy salad tossed with white balsamic vinaigrette and a slice of tangy Lemon Pound Cake for dessert.
Try these next:
Print the Recipe:
Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley
- ground black pepper
- ½ cup pasta cooking water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz diced bacon OR Pancetta for a very authentic version; though bacon is much more available and not as expensive
Equipment
- Kitchen Tongs
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season it with 1 tablespoon water. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- Prepare cheese sauce: Add eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley and ground black pepper to a mixing bowl and whisk together well. Remove ½ cup of pasta cooking water from the boiling pot of pasta and slowly (!!) trickle it into the egg and cheese mixture while whisking well. Set aside.
- Cook bacon: Add olive oil to a large and deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy.
- Finish dish: Toss the cooked pasta with the bacon in the skillet, then take the pan off the heat. Keep tossing the pasta as you add the egg and cheese mixture, until the pasta is coated in a silky sauce. Serve immediately!
Video
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
Karen says
Your recipe is a five. Mine was about a two. Not sure what I did wrong but it wasn’t creamy it was dry. was I supposed to leave the grease in the pan after cooking the pancetta? Wasn’t sure so didn’t.
Nora Rusev says
Karen, I’m so sorry you didn’t have a better outcome! The pasta turning out dry can happen if it gets too hot. It really mustn’t get too hot, or you’ll lose the silkiness of the sauce. You want it just hot enough to gently cook the eggs. Also, neverrrrrrrrrr drain pancetta grease, that stuff is too good to waste 😉
Des says
Fantastic and easy to follow recipe. I used bacon which I cut up in small pieces. Thank you for the recipe. Don’t skip out on the water as suggested.
Marc says
Just leave out the cream entirely! There’s no cream in ‘proper’ spaghetti carbonara as made in Italy. It’s basically egg and bacon pasta, possibly American-influenced during and after WW2 (like spaghetti bolognese, which doesn’t exist in Italy, but in Bologna, of course, there is tagliatelle al ragú). Much depends on the quality of the smoked pancetta, cut into small batons from a whole piece (not pre-packed cubes), as bacon won’t do. This can be hard to find, though an Italian deli would have it. I use one whole egg plus five egg yokes, but this can be varied, as can the amount of cheese (grana padano in the pan, parmesan for sprinkling). Enjoy.
Nora says
Thanks for your recipe, Marc! I like carbonara-inspired recipes in a number of different ways (except for when made with pre-packed cubes, ugh!), and this one is super simple and hard to mess up with the eggs, and that’s the kind of recipes I like to share 😉
paleobrownies says
That is really interesting information thank you for posting it.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I HAVE to pin this carbonara Nora.. it is the best I have ever seen! You definitely have inspired me to recreate the recipe.. hopefully mine turns out as good as yours!
Nora says
Thank you Thalia, I’m sure your version will be amazing!