Authentic Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Authentic carbonara uses no cream! Just eggs, cheese, guanciale, and pepper create the silky, rich sauce. Learn the proper Italian technique.
Chef Maria salvador
Authentic Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Authentic carbonara uses no cream! Just eggs, cheese, guanciale, and pepper create the silky, rich sauce. Learn the proper Italian technique.
Ingredients
Pasta
high quality Italian
Sauce
or high-quality pancetta
plus more for serving
Equipment You'll Need
2 itemsdutch-oven
chef-knife
Instructions
Prep
- 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil.
- 2
Cut guanciale into 1/4-inch strips or cubes.
- 3
In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole eggs, most of the Pecorino, and black pepper. 2 min
Cook Guanciale
- 4
Add guanciale to a cold large pan, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook until fat renders and meat is crispy, 8-10 minutes.
Starting in a cold pan prevents the fat from seizing.
Cook Pasta
- 5
Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
Combine
- 6
Remove pan from heat. Add drained pasta to the guanciale and toss.
- 7
Wait 30 seconds for pan to cool slightly, then add egg mixture. Toss vigorously, adding pasta water as needed.
The residual heat will cook the eggs into a creamy sauce. - 8
Serve immediately with remaining Pecorino and lots of black pepper.
Nutrition Facts
Daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Energy Summary
This serving provides 650 calories.
Nutrition Facts
DV stands for Daily Value, and it is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. These values are approximate and can vary based on preparation.
Authentic Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Authentic carbonara uses no cream! Just eggs, cheese, guanciale, and pepper create the silky, rich sauce. Learn the proper Italian technique.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 gSpaghetti or Rigatoni
- 2 tbspKosher salt for pasta water
Sauce
- 200 gGuanciale
- 4 wholeLarge egg yolks
- 2 wholeWhole eggs
- 100 gPecorino Romano (finely grated)
- 2 tspFreshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prep
- 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil.
- 2
Cut guanciale into 1/4-inch strips or cubes.
- 3
In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole eggs, most of the Pecorino, and black pepper. 2 min
Cook Guanciale
- 4
Add guanciale to a cold large pan, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook until fat renders and meat is crispy, 8-10 minutes.
💡 Starting in a cold pan prevents the fat from seizing.
Cook Pasta
- 5
Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
Combine
- 6
Remove pan from heat. Add drained pasta to the guanciale and toss.
- 7
Wait 30 seconds for pan to cool slightly, then add egg mixture. Toss vigorously, adding pasta water as needed.
💡 The residual heat will cook the eggs into a creamy sauce.
- 8
Serve immediately with remaining Pecorino and lots of black pepper.