Name: Spaghetti Carbonara
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g spaghetti; 200 g guanciale or pancetta; 4 large egg yolks; 2 large whole eggs; 100 g pecorino romano; 2 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp salt

Ingredients

Servings

400g spaghetti
200g pancetta
4large egg_yolk
2large egg
100g pecorino, finely grated
2tsp black_pepper, freshly ground
1tbsp salt, for pasta water

Equipment Needed

stockpot
saute_pan

Instructions

1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2
While pasta cooks, cut guanciale into small cubes or strips. Place in a cold, large skillet and cook over medium heat until the fat renders and the meat becomes crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
3
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, grated pecorino, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper until smooth.
4
Remove the skillet from heat. Add the drained hot pasta directly to the guanciale, tossing well to coat in the rendered fat.
5
Working quickly while the pan is off heat, pour the egg and cheese mixture over the pasta and toss vigorously. The residual heat will gently cook the eggs into a creamy sauce. Add pasta water a splash at a time if needed to achieve silky consistency.
6
Serve immediately in warm bowls, topped with extra pecorino and freshly cracked black pepper.

Tips

The key is adding the egg mixture off heat to avoid scrambling. The residual heat from the pasta creates the silky sauce.
Traditional carbonara uses guanciale (cured pork jowl), but pancetta is an acceptable substitute. Never use bacon as it's too smoky.
Never add cream - authentic carbonara gets its creaminess solely from eggs and cheese emulsified with pasta water.