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Pasta Carbonara according to the original Roman recipe, which fascinates me endlessly

30 min
2 servings

Pasta carbonara is one of those simple dinners we should all know how to make. It's the perfect go-to for a busy weeknight, and it's also a dish fit for the weekend or even to serve to guests.

If you've never had homemade pasta carbonara before, you're in for a real treat! How to make the most delicious Spaghetti alla Carbonara. This authentic recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients; pasta, guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano, Parmesano and black pepper. Our recipe will guide you through the do's and don'ts to make a Carbonara just as they do in Rome. Buon Appetito!

Carbonara is one of four famous Roman dishes the other three being; Cacio e Pepe, Pasta alla Gricia and Amatriciana.

It's a recipe that's famous worldwide yet a true carbonara can be hard to find outside of Italy and here's why...

The addition of cream - Cream is the main offender. There is absolutely no cream in an authentic carbonara recipe and once you've tasted the real thing you'll know why. It's so rich and creamy as it is, adding cream dilutes the flavour and makes it unnecessarily claggy and heavy.

Using bacon - using bacon instead of guanciale is another reason for a poor tasting carbonara because it doesn't have nearly as much fat and beautiful flavour as guanciale does giving you a sauce that's lacking in flavour.

Other unnecessary additions - an authentic carbonara is made with just pasta, guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano, Parmesano and black pepper, that's it! Some recipes add onions, garlic and herbs which completley changes the flavour.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boll and add the spaghetti, cook until al dente (around 7-8 minutes, check packet instructions)

2

Meanwhile, add the guanciale to a hot skillet and fry until brown and crispy then turn off the heat (do not drain the fat).

3

While the guanciale is frying add the eggs, parmesano, pecorino and pepper to a bowl, whisk until well combined (1 whole egg and 2 just the yolk) You can add a little salt, but if you like a more unsalted dish, it is better not to add salt. Remove ½ cup of pasta cooking water from the boiling pot of pasta and slowly (!!) trickle it into the egg and cheese mixture while whisking well. Set aside.

4

Add cooked pasta to egg and cheese sauce. Stir well, then place the pan on the stove over low heat. Once the sauce turns glossy and creamy it's ready, add guanciale. Toss the cooked pasta with the bacon in the skillet, then take the pan off the heat.

5

Serve immediately!

Chef's Note

I always save an extra ½ cup of the spaghetti cooking water, in case the pasta doesn't come out as silky as I want it to be. That way, I have some extra I can toss into the dish to create more sauce.

highly recommend setting aside an extra ½ cup of pasta cooking water, so you can add a few splashes more if needed to create a silky sauce.

Guanciale is cured and tends to be very salty (taste a piece once it's browned) as is Pecorino Romano so you don't often need to add salt to the sauce. Adding salt to pasta water, however, is a must!