Authentic Italian Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Recipe: A Classic and Delicious Pasta Dish
Spaghetti carbonara pasta or more simply, Carbonara, is one of the most popular first courses in Italian cuisine. Perhaps not everyone knows that the origins of carbonara are quite controversial: according to one of the most credited hypotheses, carbonara was invented by American soldiers on the day of Liberation in 1944. Despite its young age, carbonara is considered a classic of Roman cuisine such as bucatini all’amatriciana or spaghetti cacio e pepe.
Spaghetti Pasta Alla Carbonara
Servings:
Ingredients
- 2 tsps olive oil
- 8 ounces diced pancetta
- 16 ounces spaghetti (standard size package)
- 5 eggs
- 20 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, start the water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add two pinches of salt to the water, and then cook the pasta until it al dente.
- While the water boils, grab a large a saucepan and heat the oil. Once hot, add the pancetta, turning occasionally, until it becomes brown and crispy on all sides – about 5-10 minutes. Once browned, turn heat on low and let it sit.
- In a bowl, add three yolks after separating them from the white and two whole eggs, then whisk, add 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese at a time, and some pepper in a bowl until it is creamy and smooth.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add it in the pan with the pancetta, stirring quickly to mix everything but careful to not overcook the pasta. Take the pan off of the heat and add the egg mixture, quickly stirring it all together until creamy.
- Place the pasta in a dish and top with a little bit of salt and pepper and the remaining parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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As a passionate home cook, I’ve been on a mission to make the perfect carbonara, and this recipe came close! The use of pancetta over guanciale makes this version slightly more accessible and still tasty. Interestingly, the classic carbonara doesn’t include cream, just like this recipe! Eggs and cheese are the magic behind that creamy texture. There was just enough richness without feeling overly heavy.
This Spaghetti Pasta Alla Carbonara was amazing! I had been scared to try making Carbonara at home due to the potential for scrambled eggs, but this recipe made it easy. The results were creamy, delicious, and the pancetta added a delightful crunch.
This recipe was straightforward and the finished dish was tasty, though I did miss the slight smokiness guanciale usually brings. Also, I added a bit of the pasta cooking water to the egg and cheese mix to get a silkier sauce. Still fantastic though!
Pretty much perfection on every axis! A beautifully simple dish, letting quality ingredients shine. It felt authentically Italian. Did you know that in Italy, Carbonara is specifically a dish from the Lazio region, home to Rome? The recipe is quite flexible though, so you can experiment with different types of cured pork and cheeses.
So hear me out; maybe a hint of garlic sautéed with the pancetta? idk but for a quick and relatively easy recipe, this worked well.
Maybe try equal parts Pecorino and Parmesan inside the egg mix.