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Easy original Italian spaghetti carbonara

You must have already heard about it, definitely! And you must have already tasted it, if you have come to Italy, especially Rome or Lazio. Everyone falls in love with Spaghetti Carbonara as it is delicious, flavorful, and very easy to make. Do you fancy tasting my own recipe? 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword carbonara, easy italian carbonara, italian carbonara, spaghetti alla carbonara
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb of spaghetti Barilla, De Cecco, or Rummo (474g) spaghetti is the best choice
  • 1/2 cup of pancetta- or thick- sliced bacon 
  • 4 yolks, or 3 yolk and 1 whole egg 
  • 2/3 cup of Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano (80g)
  • salt
  • a few peppercorns
Servings 4 people

Instructions

  • Toast the peppercorns in a pan over medium heat. Stir them to keep from burning. Allow to cool down and coarsely crush them in a mortar or use a pepper mill; 
  • Slice the pork into thin stripes and quickly brown them in the same pan you have toasted the pepper. (Personally, I do not like to dice it.) Do not overcook, so remove the pan from the heat and let stand; 
  • Set aside some of the fat, which has been released; 
  • Beat the eggs in a large bowl, stir in half the Pecorino, the peppercorns, and the fat from the pork. Season to taste; 
  • Cook the pasta until al dente in plenty of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain it and save a scoop of pasta cooking liquid; 
  • Drain the pasta and put it into the bowl with the egg; add a splash of pasta cooking liquid and toss well. Be careful not to add too much water; otherwise, the carbonara will get too liquidy.
  • Add the pork, the remaining Pecorino, and more water, if needed, to the creamy, smooth sauce; 
  • Serve very hot. carbonara is ideally paired with a nice crispy salad;