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A plate of homemade spaghetti Carbonara Pasta with crispy pancetta, grated cheese, and fresh parsley, topped with a soft egg yolk.

Carbonara Pasta

Creamy, authentic Italian carbonara pasta made without cream—just eggs, cheese, black pepper, and bacon for a rich and comforting meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta:
  • 1 pound Spaghetti - Or linguine
  • 1 tablespoon Salt - For boiling water
  • 1 cup Pasta water - Reserved before draining
Egg Sauce:
  • 3 Large eggs - Room temperature
  • 2 Egg yolks - Optional for extra richness
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese - Freshly grated
  • 0.5 cup Pecorino Romano - Freshly grated
  • To taste Black pepper - Freshly cracked
  • To taste Salt - Optional after tasting
Bacon:
  • 8 ounces Thick-cut bacon - Diced; or pancetta/guanciale

Equipment

  • 1 Large pot (For boiling pasta)
  • 1 Large skillet (For cooking bacon)
  • 1 Mixing bowl (Heat-safe; for egg/cheese mixture)
  • 1 Tongs or pasta fork (For tossing pasta with sauce)
  • 1 Measuring cup (To reserve pasta water)
  • 1 Cheese grater (For fresh Parmesan and Pecorino)

Method
 

  1. Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk with cheese and pepper, and let come to room temperature.
    A pan of spaghetti carbonara with raw egg yolks, bacon, grated cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper.
  2. Dice the bacon and cook it in a cold skillet over medium heat until crispy. Turn off the heat but leave bacon and fat in the pan.
    A cast-iron pan with strips of crispy bacon frying.
  3. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
    A close-up of spaghetti being stirred in a pot of boiling water.
  4. Add drained pasta to the bacon pan, toss in the bacon fat, then add the egg mixture. Stir quickly while adding reserved water until creamy.
    A pan with cooked spaghetti carbonara, featuring crispy bacon and creamy egg mixture.
  5. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately topped with extra cheese and black pepper.
    A bowl of spaghetti carbonara topped with crispy pancetta, grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 250gCalories: 640kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 27gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 780mgPotassium: 340mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 620IUCalcium: 310mgIron: 2.5mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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