The secret to creamy, authentic carbonara sauce is all about technique: crisp bacon, eggs and Pecorino cheese come together off-heat to create a luscious, silky sauce- no heavy cream needed! You’ll need 30 minutes (or less) to make this dish.
Carbonara is one of the 4 famous Roman pastas, along with Cacio e Pepe, Gricia, and Amatriciana. It’s also really easy to mess up. Chances are, if you’ve made it once or twice you’ve probably scrambled your eggs. I’ve been there myself.
In this post, my intent is to teach you how to make top-quality carbonara sauce at home, focusing on traditional ingredients (no heavy cream!), simple techniques and step-by-step instructions.
When done correctly, you’ll get the most luxurious, creamy pasta sauce that’s easy enough to make any night of the week. Only 5 ingredients. No scrambled eggs. Pasta carbonara was a staple dish in our house growing up- I’ve seen and tasted it all.
Why This Recipe Works
- A 2:1 ratio of egg yolk to whole egg provides just the right amount of richness without adding heavy cream.
- Salty Pecorino Romano & nutty Parmesan cheese is used for best flavor- a blend is key.
- Fresh homemade pasta stands in for regular dried pasta to echo the delicate texture of the sauce.
How To Make It {Step-By-Step Recipe}
Below you’ll find visual step-by-step instructions for carbonara sauce. For a deeper understanding, read my notes, tips & expectations in the next section. For a printable version of this recipe, scroll to the end.
Notes, Tips & Expectations
- Toss! Toss! Toss! Carbonara sauce is essentially made my tempering eggs, cheese and bacon drippings with a splash of starchy pasta cooking water. It’s further emulsified by tossing the pasta and sauce together with tongs off heat. Do this vigorously! And do it well! The sauce will continue to thicken as you go.
- Use room temperature eggs. This tip is not referenced in most carbonara recipes. It’s crucial. The sauce will emulsify more cohesively with eggs that are not cold.
- Use a microplane. Grating the cheese on a microplane allows it to effortlessly melt into the sauce, making the texture more creamy.
- Discover the deep flavor of guanciale: Most home cooks use bacon for carbonara. But traditionally, it’s made with guanciale. This salt-cured Italian pork cheek with spices is rich and fattier than bacon. It’s rendered in a hot pan until crisp, and the leftover pan drippings are used to flavor and emulsify the sauce. Good-quality thick-cut bacon, such as Niman Ranch, can be used instead of guanciale (stack the slices and freeze for up to 10-15 minutes- they will be easier to slice).
- Preheat your serving bowls. Carbonara sauce will seize and thicken quickly when served on a cold plate. You don’t want carbonara custard. Warm your plates in your oven while you prepare this recipe.
By signing up, you agree to receive emails from The Clever Carrot. Unsubscribe at any time.
The Easiest Creamy Carbonara
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This easy, creamy pasta carbonara recipe is made with eggs, bacon (or guanciale), a 50/50 blend of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Serve with fresh homemade pasta for an elegant twist!
Ingredients
- 245 g (8 oz) fresh homemade pasta (or store-bought)
- 85 g (4 oz) thick-cut bacon (or guanciale)
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 40 g (1/3 cup) freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese*
- 40 g (1/3 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese*
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Notes:
- Grate the cheese on a microplane (it should look like snow). It will melt easily into the sauce.
- Measure out and prep all of your ingredients before starting this dish- execution happens fast!
Instructions
- Warm your serving bowls in a low oven, approximately 150 F.
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Season with salt.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon (or guanciale) into 1/4-inch strips. Sauté in a medium pan until crisp but not brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the drippings in the pan.
- Whisk the whole egg, egg yolks, grated cheese and the reserved drippings in a large 10-inch bowl.
- At this point, the water should be boiling. Add the pasta. Cook until aldente; do not drain. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to emulsify the sauce (you will not use all of it).
- Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly into the egg mixture bowl. Add the crisp bacon. Toss vigorously to coat, adding more pasta water, 1 tbsp. at a time, to loosen the sauce as needed. It should look creamy but not too thick. Toss! Toss! Toss!
- Taste, and season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
- To serve, portion the pasta onto your warm serving plates. Top with extra cheese and black pepper, and serve immediately.
Comments
Paul Hannon says
Sounds like a good recipe. It would be useful for this, and other recipes, to say whether the sauce is suitable for home freezing. So, ‘Not recommended for home freezing’, ‘ suitable for home freezing’ etc.
Thank you, Paul.
CD says
Very easy and flavorful. Be conservative with pasta water, transferring the pasta with tongs can take a fair amount of liquid with it. I found a tsp of the pasta water likely would have been enough to start
Margó says