Spaghetti alla Carbonara
About this recipe
Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a classic Italian dish that's all about simplicity and flavor. This version, shared by Chef John from Food Wishes, highlights the essential ingredients without any unnecessary cream, focusing instead on the rich combination of eggs, cheese, and pancetta or guanciale.
The beauty of this dish lies in its creamy sauce, which is created by the heat of the pasta cooking the egg mixture, resulting in a luscious texture that clings to each strand of spaghetti.
Ingredient notes
- Use unsmoked pancetta or guanciale for the best flavor.
Tips from Food Wishes's video
- Cook the pancetta or guanciale on medium-low heat until cooked but not crispy for the right texture.
- Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining to help create the sauce later.
- Drizzle the egg and cheese mixture into the pasta off the heat to avoid scrambling the eggs.
No life story here — the video and the recipe are the whole point. All credit to Food Wishes: watch the original on YouTube.
The recipe
Ingredients
Steps
- 1
Cook the pancetta or guanciale in a little olive oil on medium-low heat until cooked but not crispy.
- 2
While the bacon is cooking, whisk together the eggs, black pepper, and grated cheese in a bowl and set aside.
- 3
Once the bacon is cooked, reduce the heat to low and bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
- 4
Add 6 ounces of spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
- 5
Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining the spaghetti.
- 6
Toss the drained spaghetti with the bacon and black pepper mixture in the pan.
- 7
Drizzle in the egg and cheese mixture, stirring quickly to create a creamy sauce with the heat of the pasta.
- 8
Turn off the heat and mix in the remaining cheese, adjusting with more black pepper to taste.
Heads up — we had to guess a little:
- The quantity of black pepper is inferred as 'to taste' based on common usage in carbonara recipes.
Credit where it's due: this recipe was transcribed from Food Wishes's original video on YouTube. Follow them there — it's their dish.
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