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Spaghetti Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish made with eggs, cheese, bacon, and garlic. When you’re craving a comforting bowl of creamy pasta, nothing will cure you as fast as carbonara!
Spaghetti Carbonara
This freezer-friendly, rich, and classic “bacon and egg” spaghetti is great for company or a quick, 30-minute, weeknight meal.
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Ingredients:
Time to gather your ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make spaghetti carbonara. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Salt
- Spaghetti – Angel hair pasta will also do the trick.
- Egg
- Egg yolks
- Grated parmesan – You can use shredded parmesan instead. Either way, I recommend grating or shredding it from a block of cheese. The pre-grated stuff doesn’t melt as well.
- Grated pecorino romano – You can replace the pecorino with 1 cup of grated parmesan instead.
- Olive oil
- Thick-cut bacon – Or cured pork, like pancetta.
- Garlic – You can leave the garlic out if you prefer.
- Pepper
- Parsley – The parsley is optional but I love the pop of color it brings to the dish.
Supplies:
Have a look around your kitchen and make sure you have the following supplies before getting started.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large pot
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Large heavy-bottomed skillet
Instructions:
Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti to the pot and cook per the package’s instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, but reserve 3 cups of the pasta water, and set aside.
Sauté the bacon. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet followed by the bacon. Sauté until the bacon is nice and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
Whisk. Whisk together the eggs and the cheese and set aside
Sauté the garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic to the skillet with the bacon grease. Season with black pepper. Sauté on medium heat until fragrant.
Deglaze. Pour 1 ½ cups of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir, knocking any brown bits left behind by the bacon off of the bottom of the pan.
Temper. Whisk ½ cup of pasta water into the egg mixture very slowly while stirring to bring the carbonara sauce up to temperature without scrambling the eggs. Otherwise, the eggs will scramble and get chunky.
Put it all together. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and stir. Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the bacon, the egg mixture, and the pepper. Use tongs or a wooden spoon to toss until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with fresh parsley over the hot pasta and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
The heat from the skillet should melt the cheese. If not, go ahead and return the skillet to the burner and cook over very low heat until the cheese has melted, stirring continuously. If the sauce is too thick, add a little extra pasta water.
Storage
- To store. Once the pasta has cooled completely, seal it in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the leftover carbonara to thaw in the fridge (if frozen) before transferring it to a baking dish. Add a splash of water or broth, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until warm. Alternatively, microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until heated through.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Spaghetti Carbonara
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- large pot
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Large heavy-bottomed skillet
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt (for the pasta water)
- 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti (plus water needed to boil it)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- ½ cup grated parmesan (plus more for garnish)
- ½ cup grated pecorino romano
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (for garnish – optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the spaghetti to the pot and cook per the package’s instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the pasta water, and set aside.
- Sauté the bacon. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet followed by the bacon. Sauté until the bacon is nice and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Whisk. Whisk together the eggs and the cheese and set aside
- Sauté the garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic to the skillet with the bacon grease. Season with pepper. Sauté on medium heat until fragrant.
- Deglaze. Add 1 ½ cups of the pasta water to the skillet and stir, knocking any brown bits left behind by the bacon off of the bottom of the pan.
- Temper. Whisk ½ cup of pasta water into the egg mixture very slowly while stirring to bring the egg mixture up to temperature without scrambling the eggs. Otherwise, they will get chunky.
- Put it all together. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and stir. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the bacon, the egg mixture, and the pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted*.
- Serve. Serve warm sprinkled with fresh parsley and a pinch of grated parmesan.
Notes
- To store. Once the pasta has cooled completely, seal it in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the leftover carbonara to thaw in the fridge (if frozen) before transferring it to a baking dish. Add a splash of water or broth, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until warm. Alternatively, microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until heated through.
