Quick & Creamy Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
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Creamy Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
Raise your hand if you want a meaty and creamy pasta dish! Yes, count me right in! Pasta alla carbonara is one of my favourite pasta dishes to whip up, though I’ve felt I’ve underrated it for so long! Well, now is the time to let it shine by me sharing with you this fabulous pasta recipe!
What gets me is how quick it is to prepare a scrumptious spaghetti carbonara, and how absolutely satisfying it is! That’s what makes it a perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving some ultimate comfort food. Given how luxurious carbonara is, I’m truly blown away with how you can literally just make this whenever! Maybe that amazing attribute could be abused? Um, who knows! Make it whenever you want and however often you want, I’m not here to judge! To be able to share this perfect spaghetti alla carbonara is what I’m here to do, and I’m so happy to be doing just that today!
This carbonara recipe is oh so delicious! Every bite I take of this is just an explosion of flavours! That pancetta just adds so much flavour, and I can’t get enough of the wonderful sauce! I’m adding some peas for a pop of colour and for some sweetness to balance out the saltiness!
Did your stomach just rumble? Yeah, mine totally did, and I wish I could be having this again as I write this!
Read on, hungry person, read on, and get into the kitchen to prepare this asap! You have no reason not to be enjoying this awesome pasta dish!
What Is Spaghetti Alla Carbonara?
When I had my first carbonara I was blown away! I’m usually a red-sauce kind of guy, but of course I’m a cheese lover, so preparing white-sauce pastas always give me a little bit of extra excitement! If you’ve never made it, well, you’re in for one heck of an adventure!
Traditionally, carbonara is thought to originate from Rome, but there are theories that it actually came from the United States! The name wasn’t used until the 1950s in “Cameriera bella presence.” It may be that the dish was served during the Second World War. The Italians brought over eggs and bacon to the American soldiers, and it became a typical combination to have eggs and bacon tossed with pasta. For more details on the theories behind this dish, check out this article.
Also, while most American renditions of this dish use thick cut smoked bacon, traditionally in Rome, Pork Jowl is the preferred cut of meat. It is quite rare to find this anywhere outside Rome which is why the next best alternative is Pancetta.
Wherever it comes from doesn’t quite matter to me if I’m honest with you! I’m just happy that the genius behind pasta carbonara was around to invent it and make my belly happy! The magic behind the carbonara comes from the creamy sauce, which is made with eggs, Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper. Yeah, that’s all! Then, we pair it with spaghetti and some crispy pancetta! Yum yum!
You can also add cream or not. I choose not to because I’m keeping it authentic! Though to be fair, I’m deviating from the authenticity by some peas. Why am I doing this? I just want that vibrant pop of colour. I guess that is a trade-off, but what’s fun about adapting recipes to our tastes is the creativity behind it all, right? That’s what we’re all about at the Cooking with Anadi community! I’m always more than happy to see how you guys put a spin on my recipes. After all, the kitchen is a place of imagination and loads of fun! Peas have basically become a staple when I make carbonara now, I just can’t imagine the dish without it in my eyes!
Now, maybe you have stumbled across this article by Epicurious, so appropriately titled Why You Should Stop Serving Pasta with Peas. Give it a quick read and let me know what you think! Well, this was quite controversial, and the author did his job! I thought I had an aversion to veggies, but he clearly beats me!
The author enjoys the salt and the body of the dish, and he prefers to have flat leaf parsley add the pop of colour. Well, to each their own. With that being said, I’ll be listing the peas as an optional ingredient, as it isn’t part of the authentic carbonara recipe. However, I encourage you to give it a try! I really enjoy how the peas balance the heavier components of the dish, and that’s just me!
Tips for an Amazing Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
Whether you decide to use thick cut bacon/pancetta or thinly sliced. Make sure you nicely crispen up the protein.
Cook pasta to al dente (“to the tooth”) to enjoy the best texture in the final carbonara.
Green peas are completely optional. If you want to experience a traditional carbonara, you may omit this and enjoy the cheesy, meaty and saltiness of the final dish.
Remember to save the pasta water for use in the sauce later. That water has a lot of flavour and should always be used to thin out any pasta sauce as needed.
It is of utmost importance that you take the pan off the heat and let the pan sit for a minute or two before adding the egg and cheese mixture. If the pan is too hot or if you don’t mix vigorously, the eggs may curdle and ruin the texture.
Serve the carbonara immediately when warm since it is not possible to reheat this dish without the risk of scrambling the eggs
Ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara
Carbonara doesn’t take much, which makes it an awesome weeknight meal. No excuse not to have date night any day of the week - that’s what I like about this quick pasta dish with a fancy flair! Let’s go over what we’ll need. For the full list of ingredients with their quantities, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE!
Pasta. You can use any thick long pasta shape, or any shape really, but I want to keep things traditional and use spaghetti. Plus it’s my favourite long shape!
Parmesan cheese. And lots of it! Parmesan cheese adds a fantastic saltiness to our egg and cheese sauce. Be sure to save some to garnish on top!
Egg. We’ll be using one egg here for our cheese sauce. Some recipes call for a yolk, but I’m using a whole egg because Marcella Hazan said so, and no one can refute her.
Salt. This will be going in our cheese sauce, and we will be adding more at the end. The key here is to under-season at first! The Parmesan cheese and the pancetta are fairly salty, so take that into account. Add a bit into the egg and cheese mixture, and we’ll season the dish more when we’re combining the pasta with the sauce and pancetta.
Pepper. This is key to our creamy sauce! A little will go along here. Use fresh ground black pepper.
Pancetta. Adds so much flavour! We’ll be cooking our pasta in some of the grease.
Peas. It’s not traditional but I’m adding them for the pop of colour and for some balance! I find that the dish is very rich, so some peas give a light and sweet taste in contrast to the saltiness of the pancetta and our cream sauce.
Olive oil. To cook the pancetta, and then we add more when we cook the peas with the pancetta.
Butter. Add some with the olive oil when we’re adding the peas with the pancetta.
Garlic. Just one clove when we’re sautéing the pancetta with the peas. It will definitely enhance the flavours already present!
How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara
Time to get cooking! In theory, the preparation of Spaghetti Carbonara is quite simple, but you really need to be quick on your feet and give this dish your full heart and attention to achieve the optimal results! No checking your emails or eyeing your favourite TV show in the background if the TV is near your kitchen, we’re here to focus!
Set a pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. In the meanwhile prepare the sauce.
In a bowl, combine the parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Go easy on the salt at this stage since both the pancetta/bacon and parmesan contain salt.
Next, give the pancetta/bacon a large dice and add to a cold pan. Set the pan on medium heat and cook the pancetta/bacon until nice and crispy while stirring occasionally.
Season the pasta water and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente. Reserve the pasta water for use later
Once the pancetta/bacon is crispy, drain and excess fat and return the pancetta/bacon back to the pan. Reduce heat to medium low and add in butter, olive oil, garlic and green peas if using.
Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan. Add a touch of pasta water to the pan, 1/8 Cup at a time and deglaze the pan. Stir well and add more water as needed to create a thin sauce.
Then, take the pan off the heat and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Pour the egg and cheese mixture and immediately, start stirring and mixing the spaghetti. Any direct source of heat will scramble the eggs so keep the noodles moving.
Once mixed, you should have a smooth, creamy sauce. Add more water as needed to adjust the consistency to your liking. Serve the carbonara with parmesan ribbons and enjoy!
Are the Eggs SaFE?
Yes, of course they’re safe! Trust me, I wouldn’t be sharing a recipe that isn’t safe!
We’re going to still be cooking them up to a safe temperature, they just won’t be completely cooked like in scrambled eggs. I say, “Just enough.”
Think of a custard. A custard uses eggs and milk, and it’s creamy and smooth! That’s the concept we’re going to apply with pasta carbonara.
Our pancetta, peas, and pasta are warm. When we’re adding our cream sauce to the pasta, we’ll also be adding warm pasta water. This will help the eggs get warm and cooked through. If you turn the heat off and mix, then that will cook the eggs just enough so they’re smooth and creamy, but not scrambled!
If you are concerned about Salmonella poisoning or are serving this dish to immuno comprimised elderly people or very young children, you may use packaged whole eggs instead.
Can I Substitute The Pancetta? Parmesan?
Of course! When I was testing the recipe, I first tried with bacon, then I tried with pancetta. For me, pancetta was the winner! I just love the slightly stronger flavour of some hot pancetta. But of course, if you have a type of spicy bacon you like or if that’s what you have to work with, you can definitely use that! Actually, the most authentic choice would be guanciale, so if you can find that at a specialty Italian store near you, then go for it! I haven’t tried it myself, but I would certainly love to!
As for the cheese, carbonara is traditionally made with either Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano, or a combination of both. The rule of thumb is to use a hard cheese to make your cream sauce. For instance, Grano Padano would be another excellent option. Parmesan cheese is more accessible to me, so that’s the only reason why I’m using it! Use whatever you have, and I have to admit I’d love to switch up the recipe with different combinations of cheeses in the future!
Can You Make Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Ahead of Time?
Straight up this is a definite NO! Please make the appropriate quantity you intend to eat, and please make it when you intend on eating it! This is at the bottom of the list for meal-prep friendly recipes!
The cream sauce would thicken up being in the fridge and lose its wonderful texture and flavour. If you do end up with leftovers, I certainly don’t want to be telling you to toss them (we’re a no food-waste community here!), but if I’m honest you’re probably not going to be eating carbonara anymore :) I’m sure your leftovers will still be delicious, but the egg may separate when you reheat, your pasta may become mushy, and the amazing flavours may be slightly less prominent. Let me know if you’ve had carbonara leftovers and what you thought of the taste!
Watch How to Make Quick & Cream Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!