How to make creamy pasta carbonara with eggs, bacon, and parmesan cheese. This is such a fast and delicious dinner. Jump to the Pasta Carbonara Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.
Egg whites and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese transform into a decadent creamy sauce, while egg yolks sit on top ready to be poked with your fork and swirled into the pasta.
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How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara
Pasta carbonara is delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home.
To make pasta carbonara you will need:
- Pasta
- Bacon
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Two eggs that have been separated
Start by cooking the pasta as well as the bacon until crispy. Take the cooked bacon out of the pan then add the cooked pasta into the pan with some of the bacon fat rendered when cooking the bacon. Add a little hot pasta water, toss things around a bit, and then add the egg whites. After some tossing, a sauce will form onto the pasta.
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Recipe updated, originally posted February 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
How to Make Homemade Pasta Carbonara
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
When eating, use a fork to pierce the egg yolk to coat the spaghetti. When making, be sure to add the spaghetti, egg whites and cheese off the heat. If the pan is over heat, the dish may be too dry. Also, when adding the egg whites and cheese, work fast so a sauce forms throughout the spaghetti. Choose high quality (we like organic) eggs for this. When you serve, the pasta should still be hot, cooking the egg slightly when broken.
You Will Need
6 ounces spaghetti or linguini
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (substitute guanciale or pancetta)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is tender but not mushy. Reserve 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water then drain pasta.
2Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add bacon and cook until it has rendered its fat and is crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate then discard enough bacon fat so that two tablespoons are left in the pan.
3Prepare three small bowls. Separate the egg whites and yolks. Add egg whites to one bowl then add each egg yolk to the two remaining bowls.
4Add the pan with bacon fat back onto the heat then add reserved pasta water and pasta to pan with bacon fat, toss and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat then add 1/2 cup of the cheese, egg whites and lots of fresh ground pepper. Toss until well mixed.
5Divide the pasta between 2 bowls, make a nest in the middle then gently side an egg yolk into each nest. Top with more cheese, bacon and an extra grind of pepper. Serve immediately.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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I made this and the taste was insanely good. The problem was, I accidentally destroyed the yolk and just stirred with the white and it turned out good. Since I dont eat pork based product, I substituted the bacon with thinly sliced smoked beef.
I made this pasta, then i ate it. I would have ate more but I ate all of it. I should have made more. So many regrets in my life
This is by far the best pasta dish I have ever made. I’ve also made the avocado pasta on this sight and it was amazing as well. However this recipe made some of the best pasta I have ever ate. You really can’t go wrong with bacon and pasta. Love it and plan on making again in the very near future
Hi Brian, So glad you loved it. This is one of our favorites, too.
Absolutely LOVED it. Simple and divine. Have made it multiple times since I’ve seen this recipe and turned out great each time. Thanks for posting!
Awesome recipe 🙂
I love a good carbonara
Katie
Awesome recipe. I absolutely loved it.
Thanks for sharing.
Jess