If you’re looking for restaurant-quality Italian food without stepping out of your home, this Pasta Carbonara recipe is perfect. It’s easy, flavorful, and oh so satisfying!
I don’t know about you, but we’re really big on carbs in our home. Especially if they come in the form of pasta. Especially if we’ve got a bowl of pasta carbonara on our table!
The star of this recipe is definitely the pancetta. Diced pancetta is cooked in butter until it becomes crispy. Minced garlic is then added to the butter and pancetta for additional cooking. This is what elevates the simple pasta dish into something so incredible. The meaty and buttery pancetta is out of this world.
Adding this to your cooked pasta is delicious enough. However, beaten eggs and parmesan are tossed into the pancetta and pasta. The heat from your freshly cooked pasta will help to slightly cook the eggs and turn the mixture into a light and creamy sauce.
Why You Should Make This Pasta Carbonara
It is extremely easy to make. You’re only cooking the pancetta and boiling your pasta. Everything else comes together at the end.
You probably have most of the ingredients at home. It’s one of those recipes you can whip together even if you didn’t have anything planned for dinner. Most of these ingredients are probably already at your disposal. The only thing you might have to pick up is the pancetta – which can easily be replaced with bacon if that’s what you have at home. It tastes divine. It really does. It is an incredible comfort meal. You can even cook a large batch to serve to guests. They’ll absolutely love it.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 lb pancetta, diced (you can substitute pancetta with bacon)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 lb fettuccine or any long pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions for Pasta Carbonara:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large frying pan, add diced pancetta, and cook over medium heat until crispy.
- Then add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the pancetta and garlic into a large bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl until fluffy, then mix in the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Once the pasta is cooked, quickly drain it and move it into the bowl with pancetta and garlic. Toss everything to combine, and then add beaten eggs and cheese. You need to do these steps quickly, as you want the pasta to be hot when you add eggs. It’s the heat from the pasta that will heat the eggs and create a light creamy sauce. Mix once again until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately! Sprinkle each plate with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Calling all pasta lovers to check out these other pasta recipes! You are sure to love them:
Equipment I Used
Pasta Carbonara
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- pot
- Skillet
- Spatula
- strainer
- whisk
- tongs
Ingredients
- ½ Tbsp butter
- ¼ lb pancetta diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ lb fettuccini
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large frying pan, add diced pancetta, and cook over medium heat until crispy.
- Then add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the pancetta and garlic into a large bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl until fluffy, then mix in the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Toss everything to combine, and then add beaten eggs and cheese. You need to do this step quickly, as you want the pasta to be hot when you add eggs. It’s the heat from the pasta that will heat the eggs and create a light creamy sauce.
- Mix once again until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once the pasta is cooked, quickly drain it and move into the bowl with pancetta and garlic.
- Serve immediately! Sprinkle each plate with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
