Italy · Cereal and Pasta Dishes · Quick
Spaghetti Carbonara
Hot pasta tossed with crisp guanciale, raw egg yolks, and Pecorino Romano — the residual heat creates a silky, golden sauce without any cream. Timing is everything: too slow and you get scrambled eggs, too fast and it stays raw.
23 min 850 kcal 2 serves Easy⚡Quick🇮🇹Italy★★★★★4.8· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 450 gspaghetti
- 200 gguanciale or pancetta
- 4 largeeggs
- 100 gpecorino Romano
- 100 gparmesan
- generous amountfreshly ground black pepper
- to tastesalt
Method
- Boil spaghetti in salted water until al dente according to package directions. Save 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta is boiling, dice the guanciale or pancetta. Fry over medium-low heat until golden and crisp, about 5-7 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add the grated cheeses and a generous portion of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- When the pasta is ready, drain, leaving some moisture on the spaghetti. Quickly transfer the hot pasta to the bowl with the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
- Add the crispy guanciale/pancetta along with the rendered fat and continue stirring until the eggs form a creamy sauce. If necessary, add a little of the saved pasta water to achieve the desired consistency.
FAQ
The eggs scramble when the pan is too hot. Take the pan completely off the heat before adding the egg mixture, and keep stirring constantly. The residual heat of the pasta is enough to cook the sauce. If the pan feels too hot to touch on the outside, wait 30 seconds before adding the eggs.
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Comments (5)
Niente panna! Mai! Questa ricetta è corretta — solo uova pecorino e guanciale. Finalmente qualcuno che la fa come si deve
Finalmente una ricetta senza panna!! Grazie. Sono romano e ogni volta che vedo carbonara con panna mi piange il cuore. Usate guanciale non pancetta, è proprio un altra cosa. Pecorino romano obbligatorio.
Perdón pero tengo que decirlo: la receta está bien, pero le falta un paso importante. Hay que mezclar los huevos con el queso FUERA del fuego, no dentro. Si no, se cuajan los huevos y queda como tortilla con pasta. Y el bacon no es lo mismo que guanciale — sé que es más difícil de encontrar, pero el sabor cambia completamente. Dicho esto, la explicación de los pasos es bastante clara.
Сливки. В карбонаре. Нет. Просто нет. Это яйца, пекорино, гуанчале и чёрный перец. Четыре ингредиента. Если вы добавили сливки — вы приготовили что-то другое, может и вкусное, но это не карбонара. И пасту надо перемешивать с яичной смесью вне огня, иначе получится омлет с макаронами.
The widest pan you own works best for spaghetti carbonara. Maximum surface area means faster evaporation, more concentrated sauce, and better coating. A deep pot keeps things too wet.