Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara is tender pasta tossed with crispy bacon, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and a creamy sauce made from eggs, egg yolks, and hot pasta water – no cream needed. It’s classic Italian comfort food that’s rich, cheesy, and surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for busy weeknights, date nights, or when you want restaurant-quality pasta at home. Ready in 30 minutes, serves 4 people using simple ingredients.
Spaghetti carbonara is a delicious Italian pasta dish famous for its cheesy, creamy sauce and crispy bacon!
I love this recipe because it uses only a few ingredients. It’s a big hit with everyone in the family – children too – because it’s pasta, cheese, and BACON. What’s not to love?
Here’s the magic: the creamy sauce comes from eggs and egg yolks mixed with hot pasta water, not heavy cream! When you toss hot spaghetti in bacon grease and slowly add the egg mixture while tossing continuously, the eggs cook gently and create a silky, rich sauce that coats every strand of pasta.
It’s a budget-friendly recipe that’s easy to make. Just be sure to read the recipe notes before you start cooking so you don’t end up with pasta and scrambled eggs!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Mexican Spaghetti – Tex-Mex with taco seasoning
- Southern Baked Spaghetti – Cheesy layered Italian comfort
- Sour Cream Pasta – Creamy garlic herb sauce
- Parmesan Orzo – Buttery lemon side dish
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Spaghetti – Regular spaghetti or fettuccine pasta. Gluten-free pasta works too! You can use smaller noodles but it’s not spaghetti carbonara if you use shells, LOL.
Bacon – Crispy bacon adds salty flavor and you need the bacon fat to make the sauce. Substitute guanciale (traditional Italian cured pork jowl), pancetta, or chorizo.
Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature. The whole eggs plus extra yolks make this extra creamy!
Egg Yolks – 4 extra egg yolks for richness and creaminess. Save the egg whites for a breakfast the next morning.
Parmesan Cheese – Freshly shredded Parmesan for best flavor. Don’t use the powdered stuff in a can.
Romano Cheese – Pecorino Romano adds salty, tangy flavor. Essential for authentic carbonara!
Black Pepper – Coarse ground black pepper is traditional.
Hot Pasta Water – Reserve 1 cup from when you cook the noodles! This is crucial for the sauce to make it creamy without having to add cream.
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How To Make Spaghetti Carbonara
- Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Don’t overcook or it gets mushy when it cooks in the sauce! Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water before draining. This is crucial!
- Cook bacon slowly over low to medium heat in a large skillet until fat is rendered. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel-lined plate. Keep warm. DO NOT drain the bacon fat from the pan!
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Keep whisking as you slowly drizzle in the hot reserved pasta water. DO NOT pour it all in at once or the eggs will scramble! Add little by little.
- Add cooked spaghetti to the hot bacon grease in the skillet. Toss with tongs to coat.
- Turn heat down to low. Slowly pour in egg mixture while tossing continuously. Keep tossing so eggs don’t scramble! Stir in chopped bacon and serve immediately.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Not Freezer-Friendly: I do not recommend freezing spaghetti carbonara. The pasta gets mushy and the sauce can separate and get grainy.
Microwave: Add a tablespoon of water and heat for 30-60 seconds. Stir and repeat as needed. I prefer to do this but in a skillet instead of the microwave.
Oven: Place in oven-safe dish with a dash of water. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through. Stir halfway through and add more water if too dry.
Variations
Traditional: Use guanciale instead of bacon for authentic Italian carbonara.
Pancetta: Italian cured pork belly works great too.
Add Veggies: Toss in garden peas for color. This is how my mom makes it!
Extra Creamy: Use more egg yolks for even richer sauce.
Different Pasta: Try fettuccine, linguine, or rigatoni instead of spaghetti.
Spicy: Add red pepper flakes for heat.
Garlic: Sauté minced garlic in the bacon fat before adding pasta.
Fresh Herbs: Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil.
Serve This With:
- Italian Chopped Salad – Fresh and crunchy
- Garlic Knots – Perfect for creamy sauces
- Green Beans – Simple veggie side
- Caesar Salad – Classic pairing
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Traditional carbonara is creamy from eggs and egg yolks, not heavy cream. The hot pasta water helps create the silky sauce.
You added the hot pasta water too fast or the heat was too high. Drizzle pasta water slowly while whisking, and keep heat low when adding egg mixture to pasta.
The extra egg yolks make it extra creamy. You can use all whole eggs, but it won’t be as rich and you run the risk of getting chunks of cooked egg whites on the pasta.
Traditional Italian cured pork jowl with higher fat content. Thick-cut bacon is a great substitute!
Pecorino Romano is traditional and adds authentic salty, tangy flavor. You can use all Parmesan, but it won’t taste quite the same.
Carbonara is best served immediately. Leftovers reheat okay but aren’t as creamy.
The starchy pasta water helps eggs get hot enough to cook without scrambling and creates silky sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Undercook pasta by 1 minute. It continues cooking in the hot bacon fat.
- Cook bacon slowly over low heat to render all the fat. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Don’t drain bacon fat! It’s essential for coating the pasta and adding flavor.
- Use room temperature eggs for easier mixing.
- Reserve 1 cup hot pasta water before draining. This is crucial!
- Turn heat to LOW before adding egg mixture.
- Drizzle hot pasta water into eggs slowly while whisking. Don’t pour all at once or eggs scramble!
- Toss continuously while adding eggs so they don’t scramble.
- Whole eggs plus extra yolks make this extra creamy.
- Add garden peas for veggies and color.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated cheese.
- Serve immediately for best texture and creaminess.
This spaghetti carbonara recipe is creamy, cheesy, and ready in 30 minutes! Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something special.
Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti uncooked
- 1 cup hot pasta water from cooking spaghetti noodles
- 6 ounces bacon (or guanciale or pancetta) cooked, chopped
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks room temperature
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese packed, shredded
- ⅓ cup Romano cheese packed, shredded
- pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper coarse ground
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Don’t over cook or it will be mushy when it cooks in the pan with the sauce.
- Reserve 1 cup of the boiling spaghetti water to use with the sauce. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, slowly cook the bacon over low heat, until the fat is rendered. (This may take up to 10 minutes.)
- Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Keep warm. Do not drain the fat from the pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, and salt and pepper together.
- Keep whisking as you slowly pour in the hot spaghetti water. DO NOT pour it in all at once or the eggs will scramble. You want to drizzle it in little by little.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and hot bacon grease. Toss with tongs to coat.
- Turn the heat down low and slowly pour in the egg mixture. Keep tossing so the eggs don’t scramble.
- Stir in the bacon and serve immediately.
Notes
- Undercook pasta by 1 minute. It continues cooking in the hot bacon fat.
- Cook bacon slowly over low heat to render all the fat. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Don’t drain bacon fat! It’s essential for coating the pasta and adding flavor.
- Use room temperature eggs for easier mixing.
- Reserve 1 cup hot pasta water before draining. This is crucial!
- Turn heat to LOW before adding egg mixture.
- Drizzle hot pasta water into eggs slowly while whisking. Don’t pour all at once or eggs scramble!
- Toss continuously while adding eggs so they don’t scramble.
- Whole eggs plus extra yolks make this extra creamy.
- Add garden peas for veggies and color.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated cheese.
- Serve immediately for best texture and creaminess.
Nutrition
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