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Simple Carbonara
Humble ingredients—eggs, pasta, cheese, and pork—combine to create glossy, glorious spaghetti carbonara that’s just as good at dinner as at 4 a.m.
Total: 24 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
- 4 oz. guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), pancetta (Italian bacon), or bacon
- 2 oz. Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. spaghetti, bucatini, or rigatoni
Instruction:
- Heat 6 qt. water in a large pot over high. When water starts to steam, add 3 Tbsp. salt and cover pot with a lid (this will bring water to a boil faster).
- While you are waiting on the water, do a little prep. Remove 4 oz. guanciale from packaging and cut into about 1x¼” strips. Finely grate 2 oz. cheese and set aside one-quarter of cheese for later.
- Whisk 4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in a medium bowl until no streaks remain, then stir in remaining grated cheese. Add several cranks of pepper and set aside.
- Working next to pot, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp around the edges, 7–10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Using a wooden spoon, fish out guanciale and transfer to a small bowl. Pour fat into a heatproof measuring cup, then add back about 3 Tbsp. to pot. Discard any remaining fat.
- Cook 1 lb. pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes shy of package instructions. Just before pasta is finished, scoop out 1¾ cups pasta cooking liquid with same heatproof measuring cup.
- Add 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high. Drain pasta in a colander, then transfer to Dutch oven.
- Cook pasta, stirring constantly and vigorously, until al dente and water is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
- Whisk ¼ cup reserved pasta water into egg mixture, then very slowly stream into Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and egg is thickened to form a glossy sauce. Season with salt, if needed. Thin sauce with remaining ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, adding a tablespoonful at a time, until it’s the consistency of heavy cream (you most likely won’t use all of it).
- Mix in guanciale and divide pasta among bowls. Top with pepper and reserved cheese. Editor’s note: This recipe was originally printed in our January 2018 issue. Head this way for more of our best pasta recipes →
Carbonara | Basics with Babish
FAQ
What is traditional carbonara sauce made of?
What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara?
You really should cook all your pasta dish dishes ‘al dente’ (meaning firm to the bite) but this rule is especially important for Carbonara.
What is the secret to making carbonara?
What is the trick about carbonara sauce?
You’re using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there’s still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.
What cut of meat is best for carbonara?
If you’re looking for the best and most authentic cured meat for making carbonara, you need to pick up a piece of guanciale. This fatty cut of pork comes from the outermost cheek meat of the pig and has a succulent, savory flavor.
