Name: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 180 g Pasta, spaghetti shape preferred; 1½ L Water, for boiling pasta; 1 tsp Salt, mostly for pasta water; 80 g Guanciale, cut into small strips; 2 Egg, room temperature; ½ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, finely grated; ¾ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible

25 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Ingredients

180 gPastaspaghetti shape preferred
1½ LWaterfor boiling pasta
1 tspSaltmostly for pasta water
80 gGuancialecut into small strips
2Eggroom temperature
½ cupPecorino Romano Cheesefinely grated
¾ tspGround Black Pepperfreshly ground if possible

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

No inactive time is needed; toss the egg-cheese mixture off the heat so it turns creamy instead of scrambling.

Method

Bring the measured water to a strong boil. Add the measured salt and cook the pasta until just al dente.
Reserve a small ladle of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
Cook the guanciale in a dry pan over medium heat until the fat renders and the pieces turn lightly crisp.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with Pecorino Romano Cheese and black pepper powder until smooth.
Add the drained hot pasta to the guanciale pan and toss off the heat for a few seconds.
Pour in the egg-cheese mixture off the heat and toss quickly. Add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce.
Serve immediately while the sauce is glossy and creamy, not scrambled.

How to tell it's done

The sauce should be creamy and glossy, coating the spaghetti without visible scrambled egg.

Getting it right

Tip

The heat from the pasta should cook the egg mixture gently; direct heat can scramble the sauce.

What to serve it with

Serve immediately as a rich lunch or dinner pasta.

Common mistakes

The carbonara sauce scrambles or clumps.: Remove the pan from heat before adding the eggs and loosen quickly with hot pasta water.

Substitutions

Pancetta is a practical fallback if Guanciale is unavailable, but the recipe will be less traditional.
Do not add cream to classic carbonara; cream changes the identity of the dish.
Keep the pan off the heat when adding eggs to avoid scrambling.

Storing and reheating

Carbonara is best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 day and reheat very gently with a splash of water; do not freeze.

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