Easy Pasta Carbonara Recipe you can make in just under 20 minutes with a few simple ingredients including loads of bacon and Parmesan cheese, and a creamy garlicky carbonara sauce without any cream! This restaurant-style Italian classic dish is the perfect easy pasta for even the busiest days!
I’d love to tell you this is a quick and easy carbonara pasta recipe because I’ve discovered some fantastic shortcuts, but I can’t! The truth is, authentic pasta carbonara is so easy to make that by the time you cook the spaghetti, dinner is done!
This recipe for pasta carbonara with bacon is a restaurant-style dish, kinda like Creamy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs, made in under 20 minutes using a handful of fresh ingredients. Bacon, eggs, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese are everything you need to make this utterly flavorful yet simple pasta dish.
Make this Italian-style dish anytime you want and take your taste buds on a trip to the Mediterranean!
Jump to:
What is Carbonara Pasta?
True authentic carbonara is made with just 4 ingredients, plus the pasta, of course. Eggs, Guanciale, Pecorino, and black pepper. It’s the boiling water that gets salted, which is why there isn’t any need to season it afterward.
The trick to getting a silky creamy sauce made without any cream is the combination of fat from the bacon, eggs, and hot pasta mixed together in perfect timing.
Instead of Guanciale, we use bacon because it’s much easier to find and is more widely recognized by those of us who aren’t familiar with Guanciale. You can also use pancetta. It was bacon that was used when it was first created and somewhere along the line Italians started to prefer Guanciale.
Carbonara pasta is one of Italy’s gifts to the world. It is so good and the BEST kind of comfort food. It’s become a popular dish served in Italian restaurants everywhere, and we’re so lucky it’s easy enough to make at home!
Cooking Tips
- Do not discard the bacon grease. The fat is needed to help make the creamy sauce and prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Work quickly. Once you’ve added the egg mixture, add the pasta water if needed, to avoid the eggs curdling.
- Make it a little spicy. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- Add some veggies. Feel free to toss in whatever veggies you want to add. Peas, sliced mushrooms, or diced bell pepper would be great.
- To make an even creamier sauce, add a bit of heavy cream. No, it’s not authentic, but yes it’s still delicious!
- For a traditional yellow color to the sauce, feel free to use 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk instead.
Ingredients Needed
- Spaghetti: This can be traditional spaghetti or something like angel hair pasta, linguine, or any long pasta you have on hand. I know some people who enjoy it with medium pasta like penne too, so the choice is yours.
- Bacon: In La Carbonara, there are always bits of salty pork, whether Guanciale, pancetta, or bacon. It gives the dish so much flavor. Bacon will be smoky while pancetta will be salty. They’re all salt-cured from different parts of the pig, giving them slightly different flavors and textures.
- Egg: It’s super important to keep them at room temperature ahead of time. Adding cold eggs to hot pasta water is a recipe for disaster. Or at least lumpy eggs!
- Parmesan cheese: Grate your own cheese if you can. Since there are few ingredients used to make pasta carbonara, you want them to be the best quality you can find. Freshly grated Parmesan not only tastes better but melts better too. If you can find Parmigiano-Reggiano, even better!
- Finely chopped garlic: For an aromatic garlicky flavor to the pasta.
- Salt & pepper: To taste.
See the recipe card for the full information on recipe ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pasta Carbonara
Step 1: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, & pepper. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Add salt to boiling water, then cook the spaghetti for 1 minute less than it says on the package, just to al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
Step 4: Drain the pasta water from the pot. To the pasta, add the bacon (with the grease), and the egg mixture and stir. Remove from the heat and add reserved pasta water to make it a smooth creamy consistency.
Step 5: Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Enjoy while it’s hot with Simple Italian Salad!
Serve with Delicious Salad Recipes
- Super Easy Greek Salad Recipe
- Best Caesar Salad Recipe
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Crunchy Cucumber Radish Salad Recipe
Recipe FAQs
Since this dish is so easy to make and best served right away, it’s not one you want to prepare in advance. However, there are things you should do ahead of time to prepare for working quickly during the cooking process.
Chop the bacon and garlic. You can also grate the cheese, and bring the eggs out to room temperature.
As with any Italian pasta dish, you can’t go wrong with a big hunk of crusty bread on the side! A simple tossed salad, and a glass of crisp white wine to top it off.
As mentioned, it really is best served right away, but of course, if there are leftovers, I’m not complaining! Keep them stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Reheat on the stove and add a splash of water to smooth out the sauce again. If you have starchy pasta water that’s even better.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Pizza Pasta Casserole
- Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake in White Sauce (Video)
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Best Beshbarmak (Chicken Pasta Recipe)
When YOU make this recipe for pasta carbonara with bacon tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
If you tried this quick and easy carbonara pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments 📝below👇🏻. Thank you for visiting! 🤗
📖 Recipe
Easy Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti I like to use angel hair pasta
- 8 slices bacon sliced into small pieces
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated, more for garnish
- 2 clove garlic finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the diced bacon. Cook until it’s crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring few times. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and grated cheese until well combined. Set aside.
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the bacon, tossing to combine. Let it cool for a minute (important to avoid scrambling the eggs). Then quickly pour in the egg and cheese mixture, using tongs to toss the pasta continuously. This will create a creamy sauce. If it’s too dry, gradually add some reserved pasta water until you achieve the desired creaminess.
- Season: Season generously with freshly cracked black pepper and add sea salt if needed.
- Serve: Plate the Carbonara and garnish with extra cheese and black pepper if desired. Enjoy immediately with Simple Italian Salad!
Notes
- Use Quality Ingredients: Authentic Carbonara relies on high-quality pancetta or bacon and a good cheese for the best flavor.
- Temperature Control: Make sure to remove the skillet from heat before adding the egg mixture to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Freshly Ground Pepper: The black pepper adds an essential kick, so don’t skimp on it!
Nutrition
Quote of the Day
Have a blessing day!!!
Lorena
Family loved this!
Love Keil
So glad to hear that your family loved it, Lorena! 💛 That makes me so happy—thanks for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a feedback! 😊
Angelina
SO easy, & it sounds super yummy, so I'll be making it tonight. I have all of the ingredients, but I'll need to double the recipe, in order to feed 4 kiddoes & 3 adults. It's everything we like, so thanks very much. (BTW, I plan to use whole grain spaghetti).