Authentic Spaghetti Carbonara

Illustrative stock photos, not this exact recipe. Photo credits are at the bottom of the page.

Carbonara needs only eggs, hard cheese, cured pork and black pepper. The creamy sauce comes from the eggs and cheese warmed by hot pasta, never from cream.

The only real difficulty is heat. Take the pan off the stove before adding the eggs so the sauce turns silky rather than scrambled.

Recipe label: Based on traditional technique. Photo: illustrative stock photo, not the finished dish from this exact recipe.

Photo credits: Photo 1: Chris Weiher on Unsplash; Photo 2: Adriano Bragi on Pexels; Photo 3: Maurijn Pach on Pexels. Free stock photos, used under the Unsplash or Pexels license and shown here as illustrations only.

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Authentic Spaghetti Carbonara

Author: KP Cooking Method: Pan-Frying Cuisine: Italian, Lazio Courses: Dinner Recipe Keys: E Entertaining

Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins

Servings: 4

Description

The classic Roman carbonara with eggs, Pecorino Romano, crispy guanciale and black pepper. Silky sauce without any cream.

Ingredients

Servings

• 400 g spaghetti or rigatoni
• 150 g guanciale or pancetta (5 oz, cut in strips)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 60 g finely grated Pecorino Romano (¾ cup, plus more to serve)
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• salt (for the water, used lightly)

Instructions

1. Whisk the yolks, whole egg, Pecorino and plenty of pepper into a thick paste.
2. Cook the guanciale in a cold pan over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until the fat renders and the pieces are crisp. Turn off the heat.
3. Boil the pasta in lightly salted water until al dente. Save 1 cup of the water.
4. Move the drained pasta into the pan with the guanciale, off the heat. Pour in the egg mixture and toss quickly, adding splashes of hot pasta water until glossy and creamy.
5. Serve immediately with extra cheese and pepper.

Note

Use less salt than usual because the cheese and pork are salty. The eggs are only gently cooked by the hot pasta, so use very fresh, good-quality eggs. Avoid this recipe for pregnant people, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system. Best eaten immediately.