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Close-up of carbonara pasta coated in silky cheese egg sauce
Isaac blogger

Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

A classic Roman pasta dish made with eggs, cheese, cured pork, and pasta water to create a silky, creamy sauce without cream. Rich, authentic, and ready in under 40 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian (Roman)
Calories:
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Pasta
  • 8 oz spaghetti
  • Salt (for pasta water)
  • Sauce
  • 3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
  • ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano
  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 4 oz guanciale or pancetta, diced
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Method
 

  1. Before You Begin
  2. Preheat and prepare your cookware as needed. Cooking times and results may vary depending on your equipment and ingredients.
  3. Cook Pasta
  4. Bring salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  5. Prepare Egg Mixture
  6. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole egg, cheeses, and pepper until smooth.
  7. Cook Pork
  8. In a skillet over medium heat,
    Cook guanciale or pancetta over medium heat until crispy and the fat has rendered, about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat.
  9. Combine Pasta + Fat
  10. Add hot pasta directly to skillet off heat and toss to coat.
  11. Create Sauce Safely
  12. Pour egg mixture over pasta while skillet remains off heat. Toss continuously until sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
    Residual heat from the hot pasta gently cooks the eggs as they emulsify with the cheese and pasta water to form a smooth sauce. Add pasta water gradually as needed.
  13. Serve
  14. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

  • Use freshly grated cheese for the smoothest sauce texture.
  • Toss pasta quickly with the egg mixture to prevent clumping.
  • Add pasta water gradually to control sauce consistency.
  • Store leftovers refrigerated up to 3 days.
  • Reheat gently on low heat with added liquid to loosen the sauce.