Spaghetti Carbonara Do's and Don'ts

I'm not sure if you've heard of the spaghetti carbonara police. But I think they operate internationally and will immediately inform you of any mistakes you make in creating a spaghetti carbonara plate. So, I want to frame this recipe into a spaghetti carbonara do's and don'ts so you can feel good about your spaghetti carbonara.

It is a dish that everyone screws up the first time. It's not an easy dish and takes some time to learn the technique. So, I thought I'd share my experience with carbonara. The very first time I made this dish I started with bacon. Don't ask me why, but I've come a long way since then, and take time to recipe test.

What I share in this blog will be the spaghetti carbonara do's and don'ts so maybe you can skip some of the heartaches with this dish. But what I will tell you is that every mistake I've made with spaghetti has tasted pretty damn good. Test away, you won't regret it.

My Ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara

Here are the ingredients that I use. These may vary slightly but the one thing most people don't put in spaghetti carbonara is garlic. People scream its not traditional, yada yada yada. I don't care. Do what you feel like that day.

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1 cup pecorino romano
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 oz guanciale or 8 oz pancetta, chopped
• ¼ cup pasta water
• salt

Making Spaghetti Carbonara

It's really not that hard. It just takes some practice to get it down. I always find that if I haven't made it in a while, I have to look back at my own recipe/instructions so I don't make any mistakes. It's not that a mistake will ruin the dish, it's just that a small error can mess with the consistency. So follow the Do's and Don'ts! This image below is carbonara with pancetta instead of guanciale!

Pots and pans heating at the same time

Heat the boiling water in a pot and the pan at the same time. Bring the saucepan to medium-low heat. You want to start boiling the pasta and frying the pancetta or guanciale at the same time. Once the water is boiling add salt and then add the spaghetti.

Add the pancetta or guanciale to the pan and fry until the fat is translucent and the rest of it develops a golden-brown crust. It should take about 8 minutes, so it will be finishing up right about the same time that the pasta is al dente.

Guanciale and pancetta cook differently. Pancetta is much more forgiving than guanciale. I've cooked with both a ton of times and I find I am way more likely to burn guanciale by being careless. Make sure you keep the heat of the saucepan under control with the guanciale, because it will brown very quickly in comparison to the pancetta.

Strain the pasta saving ½ a cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan while it is still on the burner. Stir really well to combine everything to keep the pasta hot. Take off the heat and let sit for 1 minute.

Carbonara with guanciale. Guanciale is much more tender and the flavor is slightly sweeter than pancetta. The guanciale is definitely preferred for this dish but pancetta is a great alternative.

Preparing the Parmesan and Egg Mixture

Combine the eggs and pecorino and scramble together while the pancetta is frying. I always use 1 egg yolk for every egg I add. This makes the carbonara perfectly creamy. The argument against using egg whites is that they cook quicker than egg yolks. Lucky for us, and the rest of the carbonara-making world, we scrambled the eggs with the cheese. So it's just not true. When you cook scrambled eggs are certain parts cooking faster than others?

I never do this too far ahead of time. I like to do it right while the pancetta is frying so the eggs don't sit for too long.

Carbonara with pancetta. Pancetta still gives us a great fatty oil to saute the spaghetti in but the texture is slightly chewier and more savory than the guanciale. I still LOVE pancetta, and make carbonara with it often because I can just go and grab it at the supermarket. I usually have to order guanciale on Amazon.

Combining Eggs and Pasta

Once the pan has been sitting off the heat, stir the egg mixture into the pasta. Stir vigorously to combine really well. If the pan is too hot the eggs will start to pill, meaning you'll see these little crumbly bits. If you do it right the eggs will become thick sort of like over-easy eggs and the cheese will melt developing a creamy decadent carbonara.

Add a little pasta water to thin out the sauce as necessary. I usually add about ¼ cup to the mixture, stir it really well, and add fresh black pepper. Then plate immediately.

It's important to remove the pasta from the pan immediately to avoid cooking the egg. You don't want to eat scrambled eggs and pasta.

Below, I spelled out my Spaghetti Carbonara Do's and Don'ts. Hopefully, that will help you with any questions you may have.

Spaghetti Carbonara Do's

1. Start cooking the pancetta or guanciale as soon as you start boiling the pasta. It's important that everything finishes right about the same time so that the pasta is hot once it is put in the pan. If the pasta cools down too much, the whole recipe will be ruined because the egg mixture won't adhere to the pasta.
2. Use a nonstick pan if you're a beginner. The nonstick won't hold heat as long as the cast iron or stainless steel pan. That will make it easier to drop the heat enough to add the egg mixture in without cooking the eggs.
3. Grate your pecorino romano using the smallest part of the grater. The thicker the cheese is the more likely it is to clump up.
4. Use 1 egg yolk for every egg you use. It will make the sauce creamier.
5. Take the pan off the heat when you stir in the egg and pecorino cheese mixture.
6. Use garlic, to hell with the haters!

Spaghetti Carbonara Don'ts

1. Don't use fake parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. Buy one that you have to grate yourself and let it get to room temperature before putting it in the pasta.
2. Don't rinse your pasta. Don't let your pasta cool. Don't break your spaghetti. And Don't forget to salt the water!
3. Don't use a stainless steel pan if it's you're first time.
4. Don't add cream or milk or butter.
5. Don't substitute bacon for pancetta.
6. Don't let the egg mixture ever sit still while it is in the pot with the pasta. Keep it moving until you transfer it to a plate.

If you love spaghetti carbonara, leave a review below of this recipe and the do's and don'ts. Let us know what you would do differently.

Follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice or on Tiktok @alwaysfrom scratch for more instructional cooking videos!

If you love this pasta, check out these!

Lemon Pesto Spaghetti with Scallops

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📖 Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Spaghetti Carbonara Do's and Don'ts

Spaghetti Carbonara is a difficult recipe. Here I spell out the do's and don'ts of this classic Italian dish.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 5 People

Equipment

• nonstick pan

Ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1 cup pecorino romano
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 oz guanciale, chopped
• ¼ cup pasta water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Boil a large pot of water. Once at a boil, heavily salt the water. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
• In a nonstick pan, fry pancetta on medium heat for 8 minutes or until the fat is rendered and the meat is slightly crispy. After 8 minutes, transfer the pasta to the pan and mix until combined. Remove from heat for 1-2 minutes until cooled.
• Combine eggs and parmesan by scrambling. Stir the egg and parmesan mixture into the pasta vigorously, constantly moving the pasta around. Slowly add pasta water a little at a time until the sauce is slightly creamy. Add black pepper.
• Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl to avoid cooking the egg. Serve with extra parmesan.