Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Roman pasta dish made with 5 simple ingredients: spaghetti, guanciale, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and eggs. This dish is tossed perfectly to create a silky, creamy pasta sauce topped with rich and crunchy guanciale.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 588kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 Small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 cup pecorino romano
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 oz guanciale, chopped
- ½ 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.
- Add the guanciale to the pan while the pan is cold. Raise the heat to medium and fry for about 8-10 minutes or until the guanciale is golden brown. Stir the guanciale often to cook evenly. Once golden brown, remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind.
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, and pecorino and scramble together. Add 1 tablespoon of slightly cooled pasta water to this mixture to help temper it.
- Strain the pasta, saving another 1 cup of pasta water on the side. Add the pasta to the pan while it is still on the burner. Sprinkle with the black pepper and stir really well to combine.
- Remove the pan from the heat for a minute. Let it cool slightly, then add the egg mixture and ¼ cup of pasta water to the pasta, stirring or tossing vigorously. The sauce should develop into a creamy sauce. It will be loose at first, but keep stirring until it thickens.
- Once the sauce is creamy and silky, return the guanciale to the pan and combine.
- Serve with extra pecorino romano!
Video
Notes
- 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. Stir often!
- When you're first learning to make carbonara, it can be helpful to cook it in a nonstick pan because it doesn't hold heat as well and will be more forgiving if the temperature gets too high.
- Always cook meat like guanciale or pancetta starting from a cold pan. This will help render the fat slowly while developing a crispy texture.
- 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.
- 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 more quickly than egg yolks. As long as you toss with the egg mixture off the heat, this shouldn't be a problem.
- Make sure the pecorino is grated as small as possible for the best results. If it is too thick, it could coagulate in the sauce and get chunky.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 860mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 2mg
