This basic spaghetti carbonara is the perfect weeknight dish. Its quick, its simple, its tasty and there is very little mess.
If spaghetti carbonara is not already one of your favourite 20-minute meals then you need to add it now! This is the absolute simplest version of pasta carbonara to make this weeknight meal that much easier.
To me, this is the Italian equivalent of the Polish breakfast dinner which consists of fried eggs and boiled or pan-fried potatoes. You have all the carbs and all the protein. See the serving section to see what we recommend as the perfect sides.
Preparing Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
Spaghetti: Spaghetti is a staple food of Italian cuisine. It’s a long, thin, cylindrical noodle often made from durum wheat semolina or wheat flour and water.
Bacon: Bacon is salt cure pork from different cuts of the back. It is typically sold in slices. There are also non-pork alternatives such as turkey bacon that can also be used.
Eggs: Eggs are laid by many different animals but chicken eggs are what we use in this recipe. Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.
Parmesan: Grated parmesan cheese is perfect for this recipe, and I don’t mean freshly grated. The relatively inexpensive pre-grated type is just right here.
How to Make Basic Carbonara Pasta
I’m obviously not Italian so won’t speak to proper Italian techniques but one thing I do know is that reserving the pasta water is super important in this dish. Follow along with the instructions to see when and why.
Step 1: Boil the pasta water
Since we know that a watched pot never boils, let’s start with that. Fill a large pot with 4L of water and add the 2 tbsp of salt. Cook on medium-high heat until it begins to boil.
Step 2: Prep the bacon
In the meantime, prep the bacon. To do that you need to dice the slices. I usually cut them into threes lengthwise then slice them width-wise to make squares.
Next, add the bacon to a small pot or pan and cook on medium-high heat until it’s cooked. This should take roughly 10 minutes.
TIP: The bacon is not intended to be super crispy but the best part about cooking from scratch is that you can make it any way you like. If you like it extra crispy then don’t let me stop you.
Once the bacon reaches your preferred texture strain it on a paper towel to remove some of the grease.
Step 3: Prep the sauce
While the water is coming to a boil and the bacon is cooking prep the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the ¼ tsp salt, a pinch of ground black pepper and the grated parmesan. You can use fresh Parmigiano Reggiano if you have it. We are trying to keep this recipe super easy and on a budget so we use the pre-grated stuff.
Whisk everything
together to combine well.
Step 4: Cook the noodles
Once the water is boiling add the noodles to the pot. Stir the noodles occasionally until the water starts to boil again to prevent the noodles from sticking.
Cook stirring occasionally until al dente, per the package instructions. Mine took about 8-10 minutes.
Step 5: Make Spaghetti Carbonara
Once the noodles are tender but firm, scoop out about ¼ cup of the pasta water into a glass measuring cup. It doesn’t have to be precise. Then, strain the noodles of the remaining water.
Add the noodles back to the pot and back onto the burner. Turn the heat to low, or if you have an electric cooktop the remaining heat of the burner should suffice. I have a glass cooktop so I don’t even turn the heat back on.
Now add the bacon to the noodles and pour the egg mixture over the noodles and bacon. Using tongs and a twisting motion stir the noodles coating them evenly with the sauce. As you stir the eggs should start to set a little. You don’t want to scramble the eggs though so start adding the hot pasta water to maintain a sauce consistency. I usually end up adding about 1/3 cup of the pasta water to achieve the right creamy consistency.
Substitutions
Bacon: Technically the best meat for this recipe is pancetta, so if you can easily get your hands on some by all means please do.
Fettuccine: Fettuccine is great in this recipe because the sauce coats it well and you get more surface area for it to stick to. Of course, if you don’t have fettuccine noodles, you can use spaghetti or even linguini. You want to use a long noodle for this recipe to make sure the egg cooks properly while you’re mixing. If you use a noodle with more depth like penne for example, the egg mixture can get trapped inside the noodle and not cook at all.
Grated Parmesan: If you don’t like the pre-grated parmesan, you can use parmigiano reggiano or grana padano instead. They will add a more intense and warm flavour to this already delicious recipe.
Serving Pasta Carbonara
As I mentioned earlier this dish is loaded with carbs and delicious protein. We’ve even covered the fats. What we’re missing is a vegetable. I highly recommend serving this pasta without pan-roasted asparagus, a side Caesar salad or out simple spinach salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pasta carbonara vegetarian?
The original recipe is not vegetarian as it calls for bacon, or pancetta. The best part is that it only calls for bacon so if you skip it in your version then you have the best basin vegetarian spaghetti carbonara. I have made it meatless many times and I honestly think it tastes just as good.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Basic Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot
- Small pot or pan
- Knife
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 4L of water and bring to a boil and add ¼ tbsp salt.¼ tbsp salt
- While we’re waiting for the water, prep the bacon. Cut the strips of bacon into small squares. The size is entirely up to you.6 slices bacon
- Add the bacon to a small pot or pan and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the bacon is cooked but not yet crispy. Scoop the bacon bits out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb some of the fat.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions stirring occasionally.450 g spaghetti
- Now beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Once the eggs are mixed well add the parmesan and whisk to combine.4 eggs, ¼ cup grated parmesan, ¼ tsp salt, Pinch ground black pepper
- Once the noodles are al dente, reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water in a measuring cup. It doesn’t have to be precise. Then, strain the noodles of the remaining water.
- Turn off the burner and return the pot with the strained noodles back onto it. Then quickly pour in the egg mixture, add the bacon and stir constantly using tongs, essentially twisting the noodles into each other to coat them well while the eggs set. You don’t want the eggs to scramble so pour in a bit of the reserved pasta water as you stir until you get the perfect creamy sauce.
- Serve topped with more parmesan.
