Description
This Authentic Pasta Carbonara recipe delivers a creamy, rich Italian classic made with simple yet flavorful ingredients like pancetta, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Pecorino Romano. Perfectly cooked al dente pasta is tossed in a luscious cheese and egg sauce, resulting in a comforting and satisfying dish that is quick to prepare and sure to impress.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 400 g spaghetti or rigatoni pasta
Meat
- 150 g pancetta or guanciale, diced
Egg Mixture
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 50 g Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Others
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole (optional)
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti or rigatoni and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Prepare the Pancetta: In a large pan over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta or guanciale. For added aroma, add the whole garlic cloves while cooking. Sauté until the meat is crispy and golden brown, around 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic cloves, then set the pan aside off the heat to cool slightly.
- Make the Egg-Cheese Mixture: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated Pecorino Romano, a pinch of salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper until well combined.
- Toss Pasta with Pancetta: Return the pan with the pancetta to low heat. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss gently for about one minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the flavorful fat rendered by the meat.
- Create the Carbonara Sauce: Remove the pan from the heat again. Quickly pour in the egg and cheese mixture, tossing rapidly to coat the pasta and create a creamy sauce. If needed, add some reserved pasta cooking water little by little to achieve your desired sauce consistency.
- Serve: Serve the pasta immediately, garnished with an extra sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground black pepper, as desired.
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook the egg mixture on the heat to prevent scrambling; remove the pan from heat before adding eggs.
- Using guanciale provides a more authentic flavor, but pancetta is a good substitute.
- Reserve some pasta water to adjust the sauce consistency.
- Freshly ground black pepper is essential for authentic taste and texture.
- The garlic is optional and used primarily to infuse flavor into the fat; it’s discarded before mixing.