Description
Rich Italian pasta classic carbonara brings creamy Roman tradition straight to your kitchen. Silky egg-coated noodles dance with crispy pancetta, creating a simple yet luxurious meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 150 grams (5 ounces) guanciale or pancetta, diced
Pasta:
- 400 grams (14 ounces) spaghetti or rigatoni
- Salt, for pasta water
Cheese and Seasoning:
- 1 cup (100 grams) Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a generously salted large pot of water to a rolling boil, then cook the pasta until it reaches a perfect al dente texture. Carefully set aside one cup of the starchy cooking liquid before draining the pasta thoroughly.
- Heat a spacious skillet over medium flame and render the guanciale, allowing it to transform into crispy, golden-brown morsels. This process should take approximately 5-6 minutes, releasing its rich, savory fat into the pan.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and additional egg yolk until they become silky smooth. Incorporate the grated Pecorino Romano and a generous grinding of black pepper, blending until the mixture achieves a uniform consistency.
- Transfer the freshly cooked pasta directly into the skillet with the crisp guanciale, ensuring each strand is luxuriously coated with the rendered fat.
- Immediately remove the skillet from the heat source. Pour the prepared egg mixture over the pasta, employing vigorous tossing techniques to create a luscious, creamy sauce. The residual warmth will gently cook the eggs without scrambling them.
- Gradually introduce the reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, to achieve the perfect sauce consistency – smooth, silky, and clinging delicately to each pasta strand.
- Plate the carbonara with artistic flair, garnishing with an additional sprinkle of Pecorino Romano and a final flourish of freshly cracked black pepper. Serve piping hot to capture the dish’s ultimate essence and texture.
Notes
- Prep guanciale carefully to extract maximum flavor, ensuring it’s crispy but not burnt, which can make the dish bitter.
- Use room temperature eggs to prevent scrambling and achieve a silky, smooth sauce that coats pasta evenly.
- Reserve pasta water strategically, adding gradually to create a perfectly creamy consistency without diluting the rich egg mixture.
- Consider vegetarian alternatives by substituting guanciale with crispy mushrooms or smoked tofu for similar texture and depth of flavor.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 220mg