Pasta Carbonara is on your table in 20 minutes and is absolutely delicious. Follow this simple recipe for a fast dinner recipe everyone will love!
Carbonara is such a simple and traditional pasta dish. I love that it has just a few ingredients but still lands on your table as a big bowl of flavorful comfort.
This pasta carbonara recipe deviates from the traditional recipe a little, but still has that same amazing comfort and quick cooking time. In this recipe, we are swapping the guanciale for bacon. It is easier to find, less expensive, and gives you a very similar flavor. We are also tossing in fresh garlic. I love what it adds to this dish.
Great taste. Wonderful!!
Carbonara Ingredients
- Spaghetti: The base of the dish, spaghetti provides a satisfying texture and serves as the vehicle for the rich, creamy sauce. You can also use other types of pasta, such as fettuccine, bucatini, or rigatoni.
- Thick-Cut Bacon: While Carbonara is typically made with Guanciale (and occasionally pancetta), I find that bacon is a great budget friendly swap. It adds a salty, savory depth and a bit of crispiness to the dish. Read more below on using bacon in carbonara.
- Garlic: Though not a traditional ingredient in carbonara, I absolutely love what it brings to the recipe. It is sautéed with the bacon to add an additional layer of flavor.
- Eggs: Create the creamy, silky sauce that coats the pasta. A combination of whole eggs and egg yolks is used to enhance the creaminess. The heat from the pasta gently cooks the eggs, giving the dish its signature texture.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds flavor and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
How to Make Pasta Carbonara
Even though this dish is very simple, there are a few important steps to it. Here is a brief overview of how this carbonara pasta recipe comes together. I urge you to read through the recipe at the bottom of the post, always a good idea, before you start the recipe.
Prepare All of the Ingredients Before You Start Cooking
Dice the bacon and shred the cheese. Whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl until fully combined.
Cook the Spaghetti
Follow the package instructions to cook the pasta until al dente, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before you drain it. Be sure to be working on the sauce while cooking the spaghetti. Read more about cooking pasta here: How to Cook Pasta.
Cook the Bacon
Cook the bacon until almost crisp in a large skillet. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until just fragrant.
Combine the Pasta and Bacon
Toss the cooked pasta with the bacon and garlic, making sure the pasta gets coated with the bacon fat.
Put it All Together
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg mixture. It will thicken and coat the pasta. Plate the hot pasta and top with freshly ground black pepper and additional Parmesan.
Tips and Tricks
- Cooking pasta: Cooking pasta is a fairly simple step in any recipe, but can also ruin a recipe if not prepared correctly. By following these tips, you’ll have perfectly cooked spaghetti ready to be transformed into a creamy, indulgent spaghetti carbonara recipe.
- Cooking the eggs: As noted in the recipe steps above, the heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs. This is why it is key that everything is ready to go when the pasta is finished cooking; you don’t want the pasta to cool while you prepare everything else. It’s also important to remove the skillet from the heat before adding in the egg mixture. Keeping it over the heat runs the risk of scrambling the eggs, a texture that wouldn’t be great in this recipe.
- Freshly grated Parmesan: I’ve made this recipe with both freshly grated Parmesan and Parmesan that you buy finely grated in a can. I will say that both versions of this recipe are delicious, but I do prefer freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It melts better into the sauce and has a much better taste.
- Guanciale vs. bacon: Traditionally, carbonara is made with cured pork called Guanciale. It is perfect for thickening a pasta sauce because of the amount of fat on it that is rendered during heating. While you can absolutely use Guanciale in this recipe, I am calling for bacon because it is easier to find and cheaper than guanciale.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover carbonara in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the portion you plan to eat in the microwave or a small skillet until heated through.
What to Serve with Pasta Carbonara
You just can’t beat a dinner that is on the table in less than 30 minutes. Here are a few sides that go with it.
If you make this recipe for Carbonara pasta or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for serving (100 grams)
- 1 pound uncooked spaghetti (453.6 grams)
- 6 ounces thick-cut bacon diced (see note)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Read through the instructions and prep all of the ingredients before beginning this recipe.
- Beat the eggs, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper together in a bowl until fully combined.2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the dry spaghetti. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. It is important that while the pasta is cooking, you work on the sauce so it is ready when the pasta is done and still hot. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water when you drain it.1 pound uncooked spaghetti
- Once the spaghetti is cooking, cook the bacon until almost crisp in a large skillet. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until just fragrant. (If the pasta isn't done yet, remove from heat, making sure the garlic does not burn.)6 ounces thick-cut bacon, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the drained hot pasta to the bacon and garlic and toss over the heat to combine for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, ensuring that the spaghetti gets well coated in the rendered bacon fat.
- Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the egg mixture. It will thicken and coat the pasta. (It is important to remove the pan from the heat. If you leave it over the heat when you add the egg-cheese mixture, it will scramble the eggs.) If the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a little of the reserved pasta water.
- Plate the hot pasta and top with freshly ground black pepper and additional Parmesan.
Recipe Video
Notes
Jonni meeker says
Goood & easy recipe!
I’m glad to hear that you like it!
Moe says
This dish was a hit in my house, very flavourful I added mushrooms & it was fabulous 😍
I’m so glad it was a hit!