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Carbonara Pasta
Creamy and comforting, carbonara pasta is a delicious dinner recipe that only takes 20 minutes to make. This rich pasta dish is perfect for busy weeknights.
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Rich and indulgent, yet surprisingly simple to make, carbonara pasta is a creamy dish that only takes 20 minutes to make. This comforting pasta is perfect for busy weeknights when you need a hearty dinner the whole family will love.
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Carbonara Pasta
This classic Italian dish features pasta tossed in a creamy sauce with plenty of crispy bacon. Warm and filling, carbonara pasta is a delicious dinner recipe that takes just 20 minutes from start to finish, making it a perfect choice any night of the week.
The ingredients for carbonara pasta are simple, but they combine to make a pasta dish that is luscious and savory. One of the fastest and easiest pasta dishes to make, and a family favorite, you’ll likely make this pasta dish frequently.
Enjoy your easy pasta carbonara with a side of garlic bread and a fresh green salad. Pair it with a glass of refreshing iced tea.
Carbonara Pasta Ingredients
- Water
- Pasta - linguine pasta
- Bacon - diced bacon
- Cheese - grated pecorino romano cheese
- Eggs
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic
- Pepper - black pepper
- Starchy pasta water - reserved from the cooked pasta
- Parsley - fresh chopped parsley
Traditional carbonara recipes are made with long pasta noodles. In addition to linguine, you could make your carbonara pasta with spaghetti, bucatini, or angel hair pasta. You could also use other types of noodles, including shorter noodles, for this recipe, though thicker noodles don’t work as well as they are too heavy for the delicate sauce.
Carbonara is typically made with Pecorino Romano cheese but a great substitute would be grated Parmesan or a blend of the two kinds of cheese. Keep in mind that freshly grated cheese will melt into your sauce much easier and smoother as the freshly grated cheeses typically do not have additives in the container to prevent clumping.
Thick-cut bacon would yield heartier bacon crumbles in your final dish. You could also use pancetta however, it is not smoked like bacon, and the final dish will taste slightly different.
How to Make Carbonara Pasta
FIRST STEP: In a medium mixing bowl beat together the whole eggs, egg yolks, black pepper, and 1 cup of the grated pecorino cheese. Set aside.
SECOND STEP: In an 8-quart stockpot bring the 10 cups water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rolling boil. Once your water is boiling you can add your linguine noodles and cook until al dente. This will take about 10 minutes. While your pasta is cooking you can start cooking your bacon.
THIRD STEP: In a large 12-inch skillet, that is 2 inches deep, on medium heat add the diced bacon. Cook the bacon, for 9-11 minutes, stirring often or until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the skillet, placing it into a small bowl, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the skillet.
FOURTH STEP: Turn off the heat to the skillet and add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
FIFTH STEP: Remove 1 ½ cups of the starchy pasta water from the pot of cooked pasta and set aside. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss it around to coat the pasta with the garlic.
SIXTH STEP: Add the beaten egg mixture to the pasta and quickly toss the pasta with the egg mixture then add 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and toss the pasta until the sauce has coated the pasta and slightly thickened up. The heat from the pasta and the starchy pasta water will gently cook the eggs without scrambling them. You may need to add an additional ¼-½ cup of the starchy pasta water to thin out your sauce. You need to work fast and toss the pasta in the sauce a few times to really coat the pasta.
SEVENTH STEP: Transfer your carbonara pasta to a large serving bowl. Top with the remaining ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese, cooked bacon crumbles, and the fresh chopped parsley.
What kind of bacon should I use?
Thick-cut bacon will yield heartier bacon crumbles in your final dish. Dicing the bacon before cooking gives you better, more consistent sized, bacon crumbles throughout your dish. Pancetta would also work well in this pasta in place of the bacon. While it doesn’t have quite the same smoky flavor as bacon does, it will be equally delicious.
What type of pasta should I use?
The carbonara pasta recipe is best made with either spaghetti, linguine, or rigatoni. Other long pasta noodles that could be used are bucatini or angel hair pasta.
Does carbonara pasta have raw eggs?
Although there are raw eggs added to the pasta once the stove is turned off, the heat from the pasta and pasta water will heat it to the point of cooking them without scrambling them. This means that the eggs are cooked in this recipe.
How to Store Carbonara Pasta
IN THE FRIDGE: Carbonara pasta should be served immediately while it is still hot. This pasta dish does not work well to reheat or to make ahead, due to the nature of the carbonara sauce thickening and being absorbed by the pasta as it sits and cools.
IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing this pasta recipe.
Carbonara Pasta
Creamy and comforting, carbonara pasta is a delicious dinner recipe that only takes 20 minutes to make. This rich pasta dish is perfect for busy weeknights.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 box linguine pasta (16 oz.)
- ½ pound bacon diced
- 1¼ cups grated pecorino romano cheese divided
- 3 large eggs + 3 egg yolks, room-temperature
- 2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1-1½ tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl beat together the whole eggs, egg yolks, black pepper, and 1 cup of the grated pecorino cheese. Set aside.
- In an 8-quart stockpot bring the 10 cups water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rolling boil. Once your water is boiling you can add your linguine noodles and cook until al dente. This will take about 10 minutes. While your pasta is cooking you can start cooking your bacon.
- In a large 12-inch skillet, that is 2 inches deep, on medium heat add the diced bacon. Cook the bacon, for 9-11 minutes, stirring often or until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the skillet, placing it into a small bowl, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the skillet.
- Turn off the heat to the skillet and add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Remove 1 ½ cups of the starchy pasta water from the pot of cooked pasta and set aside. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss it around to coat the pasta with the garlic.
- Add the beaten egg mixture to the pasta and quickly toss the pasta with the egg mixture then add 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and toss the pasta until the sauce has coated the pasta and slightly thickened up. The heat from the pasta and the starchy pasta water will gently cook the eggs without scrambling them. You may need to add an additional ¼-½ cup of the starchy pasta water to thin out your sauce. You need to work fast and toss the pasta in the sauce a few times to really coat the pasta.
- Transfer your carbonara pasta to a large serving bowl. Top with the remaining ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese, cooked bacon crumbles, and the fresh chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Calories: 2723kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 272g | Saturated Fat: 114g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g | Monounsaturated Fat: 116g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 837mg | Sodium: 9127mg | Potassium: 357mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1740IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 1501mg | Iron: 4mg
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