Super Quick Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe (2024)

Super Quick Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe (1)

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Have you ever had a carbonara before? It is so lovely – if you did not know there is egg in the mix – but it like coats the pasta and cooks a little – it is very good

I have no idea who came up with such an idea – but it is pretty brilliant – I love adding the bacon to the mix as well

I used Turkey Bacon to cut some of the calories and fat in the dish

This recipe is pretty inexpensive to make – one item no pictured is the olive oil I used – I like using a little olive oil in the egg mixture to help the egg mixture adhere to the pasta

This recipe is VERY easy to make – about 15 minutes of real cooking time – there is about 10 minutes for the pasta to cook as well

You should reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water – pasta water is the water that the pasta cooked in – it usually looks a little white – that is the starch – youwill be using the pasta waterif the pasta becomes too sticky

This picture is a little dark but here is my dad mixing the pasta and egg mixture together 🙂

If you do make the Super Quick Spaghetti Carbonara Recipeplease let me know what you think 🙂 My dad found this recipe on Damn Delicious ( one of our favorite food blogger sites )

Super Quick Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 8 ounces spaghetti
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 4 slices Turkey bacon, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta - remember to reserve about ½ Cup of pasta water
  2. In a large skillet - place bacon - cook for a few minutes - add in garlic cook for one minute
  3. While all that is cooking in a bowl - whisk oil, eggs, and parmesan cheese together
  4. Once the pasta is cooked place in the skillet with the bacon - keep the heat low/medium
  5. Slowly add in the egg mixture - make sure to keep everything moving you do not want scrambled eggs
  6. Add in seasonings and parsley
  7. Enjoy!

Categorized:

  • Kid Friendly
  • Main
  • Recipes

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Comments

  • Jamie

    What’s the 1/2 cup of pasta water for?

    • Sara

      If the sauce is too thick – add a little water to loosen it up — so it will vary each time

  • Genevieve

    How many does this serve? Love your site! 🙂

    • Sara

      6 — enjoy 🙂

  • Tasha

    Do u whisk the eggs first?

  • lindsay d.

    i would say it serves more like 4–i think 6 would be a stretch for sure…

    that said, it was delicious and i’m so glad i found your recipe on pinterest!

    thank you 🙂

    • Sara

      I am so glad you liked it 🙂

  • Dashia

    So I am gonna try this tomorrow. Are there any tips or tricks that I need to apply. First time doing a Carbonara. Wish me luck

    • Dashia

      So I made this and it is AWESOME!!!! I used regular bacon and some turkey!!!! Quick and kid friendly!!!!!!!!!

  • Janie

    Once I made this my daughter has to have it at least once a week. It is so good , like all your recipes. Thanks

  • Sara

    I made this for my family so I double it. The only problem that I had was that it calls for grated parm which is the kind that comes in the can. You show in your pics shredded parm but I went ahead and followed the recipe as it was stated ( I like to do that the first go round and then make adjustments later for my taste). It was way to much grated parm so I defiantly think it needs the shredded parm instead. I will for sure make this again with that adjustment. I will also be not so heavy handed with salt in my pasta water. I ended up making my dish to salty since I normally salt my pasta water. Thanks for the recipe I know it will be wonderful once I do it this other way. 🙂

  • Kathy Chernicky

    I didn’t have bacon on hand but I did have ham so I substituted. It was fabulous. I’ve had carbonara many times in my life and I must say this was one of the best. I recently had it at the Cheesecake Factory and they had added peas to it. I gently pushed the peas to the side!

  • Link Love: My Favourite Things This Week - Knitted Bliss

    […] It’s winter, and lately spaghetti carbonara is getting a lot of attention in my house. This is a quick and easy version that works great for weeknights. I usually add extra bacon, because I’m an extra bacon sorta person. Pinterest link is here, and the full recipe is here. […]

    • Alex Teague

      Can I use milk and cream instead of oil and eggs

  • Angie Gaillard

    This is probably one of my favorite receipes!!! Love it! I cook it about once a month. I’ll admit I use pork bacon:)

Super Quick Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.

What is the trick about carbonara sauce? ›

Whisk Like You Mean It

You're using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there's still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.

What is real carbonara sauce made of? ›

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions.

Which ingredient should never be used in traditional carbonara? ›

What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.

How does Gordon Ramsay make carbonara sauce? ›

Gordon's Carbonara in Under 10 Minutes
  1. 125g Dried Spaghetti.
  2. 30g Frozen Peas.
  3. 80g Streaky Bacon or Pancetta, Cut into small lardons.
  4. 2 Egg Yolks.
  5. 1 1/2 Tablespoons Crème Fraîche.
  6. 2 Mushrooms, Sliced.
  7. 1 Chili, Minced.
  8. Olive Oil.
May 3, 2020

Do Italians put cream in pasta carbonara? ›

Taste.com.au Food Director, Amira Georgy, confirmed this, saying: “Traditionally, carbonara sauce contains no cream, just eggs and cheese. The eggs and cheese are added to the hot pasta and tossed together until a silky sauce forms.”

Should there be garlic in carbonara? ›

Must-have ingredients

that there are only five ingredients: pasta, pork cheek, eggs, cheese and pepper. That's it. A real carbonara does not contain onion, garlic, or cream.

How to stop eggs from scrambling in carbonara? ›

Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.

What thickens carbonara? ›

Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese. Using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn't scramble, and everything is coated. Add extra pasta cooking water to keep it saucy (several tablespoons should do it).

What's the difference between carbonara and Italian carbonara? ›

The Italian version doesn't use cream or ham. It is made with pancetta (pork belly meat that is salt cured, also referred to as Italian bacon), Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano cheese, eggs, and black pepper—called the basics.

How to make spaghetti carbonara step by step? ›

Method
  1. Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, fry pancetta in oil in a frying pan for a few mins until golden and crisp. Add garlic, fry for 1 min, then turn off the heat. ...
  2. Drain pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add eggs and a tbsp of cooking water, then mix until pasta is coated and creamy.

Is carbonara just alfredo sauce? ›

The difference between alfredo and carbonara is that carbonara contains an egg while alfredo sauce does not. Carbonara is usually thinner in consistency than alfredo sauce, using the egg to coat the noodles instead of relying on the cream.

Does carbonara use whole eggs or just yolks? ›

It's higher in fat, which gives a velvety texture and richer flavor to the carbonara. I'd rather not go overboard on the richness, so I'll use whole eggs, and typically I'll add an extra yolk to the pan. If guanciale is not available, I'll use pancetta.

Why are there no egg whites in carbonara? ›

That means an egg provides two of the three ingredients we need to make an emulsion: the fat and the emulsifier. In fact, both the fat and the lecithin are mainly concentrated in the egg yolk. So we can actually make the carbonara sauce without the egg whites. Using just egg yolks will give us a richer, thicker sauce.

What type of meat is best in carbonara? ›

Carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale, or cured pork jowl, though pancetta is often substituted, and both are fatty, salty and deeply savoury.

What is the egg rule for carbonara? ›

Egg whites will provide texture but too much could make the eggs curdle. Meanwhile, egg yolks help to bind the pork fat to the sauce. This also helps to enhance the creaminess. So a good rule to follow is to include one egg yolk per person and one egg white per four people.

How to avoid scrambling eggs in carbonara? ›

Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.

Do you put the whole egg in carbonara or the yolk? ›

Traditional Carbonara is a pasta sauce that gets its famously smooth, silky texture from the special way eggs (with extra egg yolks added) are cooked in the hot pasta itself. There is also the addition of hard Italian cheeses like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano that add to the smoothness.

How many eggs should I put in my carbonara? ›

I like to use a ratio of 1 whole egg to 3 egg yolks because it balances the richness. If you are looking to avoid using raw eggs, I would recommend making my Cacio e Pepe recipe – this is another one of the four classic Roman pastas but requires only three ingredients (cheese, pepper, and pasta).

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