Bacon and egg pasta is what this really is, quite filling and a delicious flavour. It also works well with Tagliatelle, Fettucine and even Penne pasta. This recipe was shown to me by an Italian friend in Spain. Interestingly he, as well as many other Italian cooks I’ve met, absolutely insists that cream is not a key ingredient in Carbonara. In fact a lot of Italians don’t use cream at all in this dish. It’s the eggs that make the creamy consistency. As he always says, if you want to add cream, just a touch! Unlike the generic Italian restaurants that will serve you up a bowl of pasta, swimming in cream, with a bit of bacon floating around in it. That’s not carbonara!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium2
servings10
minutes10
minutes20
minutesThis recipe is pretty quick to make, but the reason I’ve described it as medium difficulty is because it can be tricky not to scramble the eggs! After a few attempts, you’ll get to know exactly when they are about to scramble and get the pasta out of the frying pan quick 🙂 Again, many Italians don’t use cream in this dish so it’s an optional ingredient. I like to use just a little but it’s not required.
Ingredients
250g Spaghetti (Tagliatelle, Fettucine or Penne also work well)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
150g Diced Pancetta or Streaky Bacon
2 Eggs (medium or large)
2 Egg Yolks
30ml Cream (I use Soya Single cream)
75g Finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Sea salt
Directions
- Put on a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.
- When the water is boiling, add at least a tablespoon of salt and then add the pasta.
- Put a large frying pan on the heat and heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté for about a minute.
- Add the bacon and fry on a high heat until the bacon is crispy. The onion will probably be well browned, even a bit burnt, or may disintegrate completely, that’s fine.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks. Then add the parmesan and mix well.
- If adding cream, add to the egg mixture and mix well.
- When the Spaghetti is cooked, make sure the frying pan is very hot and take a ladle of the water from the Spaghetti and add it to the frying pan. This is a very important step – it will de-glaze the pan and get all the delicious flavours into the liquid.
- Quickly drain the Spaghetti and add it to the frying pan while the mixture is still hot and bubbling. Toss the pasta well through the mixture until it is completely coated.
- Remove the frying pan from the heat and toss the pasta a bit more to release some of the heat. This is critical if you don’t want scrambled egg!
- Pour the egg mixture over the Spaghetti and use two forks to toss the Spaghetti in the egg mixture until it’s completely coated. Keep it moving, as any part that you leave sitting still will probably scramble.
- As soon as the pasta is coated, serve immediately. The sauce should be creamy and smooth, not like scrambled egg.
- Serve with grated Parmesan and some freshly ground black pepper over the top.
Notes
- If scaling up the quantity, this recipe calls for 1 egg and 1 egg yolk per person
