Pasta Carbonara

5 from 1 vote

This easy pasta carbonara delivers rich, savory flavor with crispy bacon, tender pasta, and a silky egg-and-Parmesan sauce no cream needed. Finished with black pepper and parsley, it’s a classic comfort dish that feels indulgent but comes together fast.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Matt Price

Ingredients

1 lb pipette rigate noodles or any pasta you prefer
5 egg yolks
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup diced parsley
8 oz guanciale or bacon diced
½ cup pasta water reserved from cooking pasta
AP Seasoning to taste
Black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
½ diced onion

Instructions

Prep Work

First things first, let’s prep our ingredients and measure everything out.
For garlic bread, you just need some butter, a baguette, and some garlic + seasonings.
As far as the knife work goes, it’s simple today!
We just need to dice 2 shallots or 1 onion, mince some garlic, and dice some parsley.
Garlic bread prep is super simple - just cut down your baguette and add them to a sheet pan.
We want to melt 1 stick of butter, add garlic, seasoning, and parsley to it, and brush it onto the bread.
This will go in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until toasted.
If you can't find guanciale, pancetta or even bacon can be used as a substitute, but guanciale will provide the most authentic taste and texture for these dishes.
In a large skillet or pan, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.
Add the diced guanciale or bacon to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes crispy and golden brown. This will take about 5–7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Once it's nice and crispy, remove the guanciale or bacon from the pan and set it aside.
Keep the rendered fat in the pan, as this will add flavor to your sauce.

Sauté the Onion and Garlic

In the same pan, add the diced onion and cook over medium heat.
Sauté for about 3–4 minutes until the onions become soft and translucent.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it can turn bitter.

Prepare the Carbonara Sauce

While the pasta is cooking and the guanciale is crisping up, it's time to prepare the carbonara sauce.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the 5 egg yolks, 2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of AP seasoning.
Season with freshly cracked black pepper to your taste. You want this mixture to be smooth and creamy, so take your time to get the texture just right.

Combine Pasta with Onion and Garlic

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sautéed onion and garlic.
Toss the noodles in the rendered fat, ensuring they're well-coated with the delicious flavors from the pan.
Add the reserved pasta water little by little to help loosen up the mixture and create a creamy base for the sauce.

Make It Creamy

With the pan off the heat (to avoid scrambling the eggs), slowly pour the egg yolk and Parmesan mixture over the pasta, tossing continuously to create a smooth and velvety sauce.
The residual heat from the pasta and pan will gently cook the egg yolks, giving you that signature creamy carbonara sauce.
If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more pasta water until you achieve your desired consistency.

Add the Guanciale or Bacon

Now it's time to bring back the crispy guanciale or bacon.
Add it back into the pan and toss everything together.

Garnish and Serve

Finish the dish with a sprinkle of diced parsley for freshness, and top it off with extra black pepper and Parmesan cheese for added flavor.
Serve immediately and enjoy the creamy, indulgent goodness of this classic Pasta Carbonara.

Notes

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Farenheit

Tips for the Perfect Carbonara:

Pasta Water is a must! Don’t forget to save some pasta water before draining the noodles. It helps create the perfect creamy texture for your sauce and helps bind the sauce to the pasta.
Guanciale vs. Bacon: If you can find guanciale, it’s the traditional meat for carbonara and has a distinct flavor that adds authenticity to the dish. But if you can’t find it, bacon is a great substitute, and you’ll still get that crispy, salty goodness.
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper: Carbonara is a dish that relies on simplicity, so use fresh cracked pepper for the best flavor. It really makes a difference!
Avoid Overheating: When adding the egg yolks to the pasta, make sure the pan is off the heat to avoid scrambling the eggs. You want them to cook gently with the heat from the pasta, creating a silky sauce.

Nutrition