Authentic Carbonara Recipe
This Carbonara (Authentic Italian Recipe) is creamy, rich, and made without a drop of cream. Eggs, freshly grated cheese, rendered guanciale or pancetta, and starchy pasta water come together to create a silky sauce that coats every strand of pasta. Ready in just 20 minutes, this Italian pasta classic relies on a few key techniques rather than heavy cream to create its signature creamy texture.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano cheese or a mix or both
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 lb guanciale pancetta, or bacon, sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch thick by 1/3 inch square, 16 oz
- 1 lb pasta of choice
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt—about 2 tablespoons per 500 g of pasta. It should taste like the sea.
- Beat the room-temperature eggs until well-mixed. Combine the eggs with freshly grated cheese and black pepper. The mixture will be very thick.
- Cook the pork a skillet over medium heat until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 5-7 minutes. After the meat is nice and crisp, move it onto a clean plate. Reserve a couple tablespoons of pan drippings and discard the rest of the grease.
- Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add the drained pasta to the warm pan with the guanciale fat. Toss to coat the pasta evenly. Remove the pan from the heat. This is one of the most important steps.
- Slowly add the egg and cheese mixture while tossing vigorously. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the pasta.
- Fold the cooked pork into the pasta, reserving some pieces for topping if desired. Top with freshly grated cheese and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
- Use room-temperature eggs. They blend more easily with the cheese and help create a smooth egg mixture.
- Grate the cheese finely and fresh. Fine shreds melt more readily into the hot pasta and help prevent a clumpy sauce.
- Reserve the pasta water. The starchy water is an important part of the emulsion and helps loosen the sauce without adding cream.
- Remove the pan completely from the heat before adding the eggs. Residual heat from the pasta is enough to bring the sauce together without scrambling the eggs.
- Toss vigorously while adding the egg mixture. Constant movement helps the eggs, cheese, pork fat, and pasta water emulsify into the glossy sauce that makes carbonara so creamy.
Nutrition
Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1072mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 288IU | Calcium: 416mg | Iron: 2mg
