EASY Carbonara Recipe (with Bacon or Pancetta)
This Carbonara recipe is a quick and easy version of the classic, made with simple and accessible ingredients for a flavorful dinner that's on the table in under 30 minutes!
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This Carbonara recipe is one of my all-time favorite easy dinners.
My pickiest child enthusiastically agrees.
And so does the rest of my family. Because this combo of pasta, bacon, garlic, and Parmesan in a silky, flavorful sauce finished off with a pop or parsley is indescribably delicious!
Ingredients
One of the best things about this version of Carbonara is that I almost always have all of these simple ingredients in my pantry, fridge, and/or freezer!
- Spaghetti. Cooked to al dente in well-salted water. You can use regular spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti. (When one of my kiddos had to eat gluten-free for a number of years, I discovered the BEST GF spaghetti! It totally tastes like normal spaghetti...nobody would ever guess that it's gluten-free. It's made in Italy but I always stocked up with a multi-pack on Amazon.) You can also sub a long, flat pasta noodle such as linguine or fettuccine, but I wouldn't recommend swapping angel hair or other delicate pastas that may fall apart during the vigorous whisking required to bring together the sauce.
- Eggs. Whisked.
- Parmesan. I recommend using grated Parm for smoother melting (even though the pics in this post show shredded Parm -- sorry!). You could also use Pecorino Romano in place of Parmesan, which is actually the more traditional Carbonara cheese.
- Bacon OR pancetta. I'll be honest...I almost always make my Carbonara recipe with bacon because I'm never without a package in the freezer. A frozen pack of bacon is also quick to thaw in a bowl of warm water, which makes for a speedy, last-minute dinner when I didn't plan ahead! I also sometimes increase the amount of bacon to 12 ounces for a heartier dish. All of that being said, if you'd like to make your Carbonara with more traditional pancetta (which is like an Italian, unsmoked version of bacon), feel free to do so.
- Garlic. Garlic is not a traditional Carbonara recipe ingredient, but I personally love it as an addition. It adds so much flavor and marries beautifully with the bacon. However, omit it if you lean more authentic. 😉
- Fresh parsley. Minced. For a pop of freshness and color!
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper. To taste. I usually find that additional salt is unnecessary between the salted pasta water and the salty bacon. However, I do add loads of black pepper!
How to Make a Carbonara Recipe
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
Have I mentioned that this Carbonara recipe can be on your table in under 30 minutes? You won't believe how simple and straightforward it is to make.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in your spaghetti noodles and cook to al dente, stirring occasionally.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, work on the rest of the ingredients. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl, whisk 'em, and stir in the Parmesan until well combined.
- Use kitchen shears to snip the bacon into small pieces directly into a large skillet, pot, or Dutch oven...or dice the pancetta with a knife on a cutting board. (Either way, using a deeper pot or Dutch oven can help contain the bacon/pancetta grease splatters.)
- Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the bacon (or pancetta) is brown and crispy.
- Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute until golden and fragrant.
- Drain most of the grease in the pot and discard, leaving a tablespoon or so remaining with the bacon/pancetta and garlic.
- When the spaghetti is done cooking, pour at least 1 cup of the pasta water into a heat-safe cup or bowl and set aside.
- Drain the remaining spaghetti and add it to the pot of cooked bacon/pancetta.
- Pour the egg/Parmesan mixture over the spaghetti. Immediately and quickly stir to combine all of the ingredients in the pot. Stir a few tablespoons of pasta water into the pot, adding more as you vigorously stir until the sauce is smooth and your desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in half of the minced parsley and season with salt (if needed) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining parsley. ENJOY!
The Importance of Pasta Water
One of the secrets to any good Carbonara recipe is incorporating some of the hot pasta water that's leftover from boiling the spaghetti. The starch in the pasta water serves to thicken and emulsify the sauce until it's smooth and silky, which then perfectly coats the spaghetti.
When I drain my spaghetti, I pour the first bit of the water into a 2-cup heat-safe glass measuring cup that's set in my sink. Then I pour the rest of the water/spaghetti into my colander to drain the pasta.
I never use that full 2 cups of pasta water to make my Carbonara recipe, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. For instance, sometimes if someone goes back for a second serving, the Carbonara sauce has thickened too much as it sat in the pot. But the solution is easy, because stirring in an extra splash of reserved pasta water loosens the sauce right back up!
Yield and Storage
This Carbonara recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
However, I will admit that I recently made it for dinner when my husband and eldest son weren't home...and my other son, daughter, and I love it so much that the three of us practically polished off the whole pot ourselves! Ha. There was very little leftover and we all fought over it the next day. 😉
That being said, if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, this recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
I always just zap my plate of Carbonara in the microwave to reheat and give it a good stir before scarfing it down. You can stir in a splash of broth or milk if it gets a little dry.
Or, if you're the more patient type, you can opt to gently heat your leftover Carbonara in a pot on the stove with a splash of milk or broth stirred in.
So have I convinced you to give my beloved Carbonara recipe a whirl?
I have been slightly obsessed with this recipe for years and years, in case I haven't already made that abundantly clear. 🙂
I hope you love it just as much as we do!
More Easy + Tantalizing Pasta Dinners
- One-Pot Spaghetti
- Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet
- Beefy Cheesy Baked Tortellini
- Stuffed Shells with Meat
- Easy One-Pan Baked Gnocchi
Easy Carbonara Recipe (with Bacon or Pancetta)
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 8 ounces bacon OR pancetta
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup packed fresh parsley leaves, minced and DIVIDED
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously season with salt, add spaghetti noodles, and cook to al dente according to package directions.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl, whisk, stir in the Parmesan until well combined, and set aside.
- Use kitchen shears to snip the bacon into small pieces directly into a large pot or Dutch oven (or dice the pancetta with a knife on a cutting board). Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the bacon (or pancetta) is crispy.
- Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute until golden and fragrant. Drain most of the grease in the pot and discard, leaving a tablespoon or so in the pot with the bacon/pancetta and garlic.
- When the spaghetti is done cooking, pour at least 1 cup of the pasta water into a heat-safe cup or bowl and set aside. Drain the remaining spaghetti and add it to the pot of cooked bacon/pancetta.
- Pour the egg/Parmesan mixture over the spaghetti. Immediately and quickly stir to combine all of the ingredients in the pot. Stir a few tablespoons of pasta water into the pot, adding more and vigorously stirring until your sauce is smooth and your desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in half of the minced parsley and season with salt (if needed) and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining parsley.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- You can use regular spaghetti noodles or whole wheat spaghetti noodles in your Carbonara. I've even made this recipe gluten free using an amazing GF spaghetti that doesn't taste GF at all…it's imported from Italy (but can be purchased on Amazon).
- You must work quickly when you stir everything together at the end so that the eggs and Parmesan combine with the pasta water to turn into a silky sauce, rather than ending up as scrambled eggs. 😉
- Please be advised that this easy Carbonara recipe was developed using common ingredients that I almost always have in my fridge and freezer…it does not claim to be authentic.
- I typically make this recipe with bacon rather than more traditional pancetta, because I always have bacon on hand. Sometimes when we want our Carbonara to be particularly hearty, I increase the amount of bacon to 12 ounces.
- Traditional Carbonara recipes are made with Pecorino Romano rather than Parmesan, so you may certainly swap the cheese if you have Romano.
- Additionally, traditional Carbonara does not include garlic…but I include it because I love it. Feel free to reduce or omit the garlic, if you wish.
- If your Carbonara recipe sits for a bit and gets too thick, simply stir in an additional splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce again.
