Description
This easy, creamy pasta carbonara recipe is made with eggs, guanciale (or bacon), 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
- 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 guanciale or bacon 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, reserved drippings and guanciale 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 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. 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.
