Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Authentic spaghetti carbonara - eggs, bacon, cheese, no cream. Restaurant-quality in 30 minutes!

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Stewart

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.

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.