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Introduce your family to a whole new world of creamy pasta with my Homemade Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe! It's rich, savory, decadent, and so much easier than you think. Ready in under 30 minutes with only a few easy ingredients!
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What is Carbonara Sauce?
You've probably heard of pasta carbonara, or seen it on menus. This rich, luxurious dish of spaghetti noodles and crispy pancetta is a classic on Italian menus everywhere, but what is IT?
It's shockingly simple! It is a sauce made of gently cooked eggs mixed with pancetta and Pecorino cheese to make a creamy, custard-like sauce for spaghetti. It's milk-free, cream-free, and decadent!
Carbonara Recipe
When I'm in the mood for rich, creamy indulgence but want to serve up something a little lighter than Alfredo, my thoughts drift to carbonara! Buttery, savory, rich, and salty- all without a drop of cream. Sign me up!
What you might not expect about this pasta dish is that it's quick and easy, too. It has a reputation for being easy to mess up, but trust me: with this easy recipe, you'll have foolproof pasta in minutes! All it takes is keeping a few key tricks in mind.
So give it a try! Find the best quality eggs you can, and a big portion of good cheese, and serve up a creamy, luxurious carbonara spaghetti for dinner that everyone will love.
Carbonara Ingredients
- Spaghetti or bucatini pasta
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Pancetta or Guanciale
- Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
- Eggs
- English peas
- Pepper
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
- Add the olive oil to a deep pot or large skillet, then set it to medium heat. While it's heating, chop the pancetta, then cook it in the oil until crisp. Remove the pancetta, and reserve the flavored oil in a bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and cheese.
- In a large pot of salted water, bring the spaghetti to a boil according to package instructions. Reserve one cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti and set it aside. I like to cook it al dente but feel free to cook it to your liking.
- Add the oil back into the pot, and set over medium heat. Add the drained hot pasta to the pot.
- Once nice and warm, slowly pour the egg mixture and cheese mixture over the pasta, turning the pasta to coat it. Add the hot water slowly to keep it from getting dry.
- Add in the cooked pancetta and peas, then toss until it's well mixed and warmed through.
- Serve this delicious pasta dish in a warm serving bowl with extra cheese and freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy! Trust me, serving it in a warm bowl will make a world of difference!
Pasta Carbonara Recipe Tips
- Make sure the pasta water stays nice and hot! If it cools down, it won't cook the eggs. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave if it cools.
- If you can't find Pecorino or pancetta, feel free to use parmesan and thick-cut bacon.
- The goal is creamy pasta sauce, not chunky eggs, so make sure to stir the pasta very well while adding the pasta water!
- Any eggs will do, but free-range or local farm eggs make a huge difference. Check your area for local eggs. I promise it'll be worth it!
- This recipe does not reheat well. Make sure to enjoy it right away!
- Serve this delicious pasta dish in a warm serving bowl with extra cheese and freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy! Trust me, serving it in a warm bowl will make a world of difference! I just place my bowl in the oven on low for a couple of minutes.
Pasta Carbonara Variations
- Chicken Carbonara: Adding chicken to carbonara can be a delicious twist on the classic recipe. I love using leftover grilled chicken breast or pan-fried chicken breast.
- Shrimp Carbonara: Adding shrimp to carbonara sauce can create a delicious seafood twist on the classic recipe. Air Fryer Shrimp cook so quickly and are a great addition!
- Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara: Why choose just one? This combination is perfectly delicious!
- Fettuccini Carbonara: Switch up your choice of pasta. This easy carbonara sauce recipe is awesome with fettuccini pasta!
- Bacon Carbonara: Substitute bacon for the pancetta. It's a delicious surprise.
Spaghetti Carbonara FAQ
It is a creamy sauce made exclusively of eggs, pecorino and parmesan cheese, and crispy pancetta! A little bit of pasta water is used to cook and thin out the sauce, but that's it. There's no milk or cream in this sauce; the eggs and pasta water form the creamy base.
The golden rule is to keep it simple! Don't go adding tons of ingredients; all it needs is eggs, cheese, pasta, pancetta, and oil. Adding cream will just make it into a cream sauce!
While both are creamy sauces using parmesan cheese, they differ in what the base ingredient is. For Alfredo, heavy cream is used to create a rich, milky base. Carbonara doesn't use any milk at all and instead uses very gently cooked eggs and pasta water to create a creamy, custard-like sauce.
Any pasta you like will work well, but the classic choice is spaghetti. It makes sense why; spaghetti is easy to mix and coats well with the sauce, making it perfect for a recipe like this one that needs lots of mixing. Fettuceni is also an excellent choice. Just be careful with super fragile noodles, as they may break while mixing.
Easy Dinner Ideas
10 Best Pasta Sauce Recipes
- One Pot Spaghetti
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Burrata Pasta
- Pink Pasta Sauce
- Avocado Sauce Pasta
- Rasta Pasta
- Bolognese Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Brisket Ragu
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Video
Equipment
- 2 Pots
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons salt - for cooking the pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces pancetta - diced
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano - grated
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup English peas
- black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a deep pot or pan, then set it to medium heat. While it's heating, chop 4 ounces pancetta, then cook it in the oil until crisp. Remove the pancetta, and reserve the flavored oil in a bowl.4 ounces pancetta,2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 3 eggs, 1 egg yolk, and 1 cup Pecorino Romano.1 cup Pecorino Romano,3 eggs,1 egg yolk
- Cook the spaghetti to package instructions in a pot of boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the spaghetti and set it aside.16 ounces spaghetti,2 tablespoons salt
- Add the reserved oil back into the pot, and set over medium heat. Add the drained pasta to the pot.
- Once nice and warm, slowly pour the egg and cheese mixture over the pasta, turning the pasta to coat it. Add pasta water slowly to keep it from getting dry.
- Add in the cooked pancetta and 1 cup English peas, then toss until it's well mixed and warmed through.1 cup English peas
- Serve with extra cheese and black pepper, and enjoy!black pepper
Notes
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- Make sure the pasta water stays nice and hot! If it cools down, it won't cook the eggs. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave if it cools.
-
- If you can't find Pecorino or pancetta, feel free to use parmesan and thick cut bacon.
-
- The goal is creamy pasta sauce, not chunky eggs, so make sure to stir the pasta very well while adding the pasta water!
-
- Any eggs will do, but free-range or local farm eggs make a huge difference with carbonara. Check your area for local eggs. I promise, it'll be worth it!
-
- This recipe does not reheat well. Make sure to enjoy it right away!
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