Authentic pasta carbonara is easy to make and full of flavor! Featuring plenty of savory bacon, a cheesy egg sauce, and tender spaghetti, it’s a hearty weeknight meal that is sure to satisfy all pasta lovers.
What is pasta carbonara, you may ask? It’s spaghetti prepared with a special sauce and pan-fried meat. Pasta carbonara was first seen in the Rome region of Italy. No one knows the exact story behind the origination of the dish, but we do know the location of where the dish comes from. The word carbonara in Italian has links to charcoal, and many people believe that the dish was first made by coal miners. However it came to be, the popularity of the dish increased across Italy and spread throughout the world after World War II. It’s traditionally made with spaghetti, pancetta, eggs, and cheese.
Pasta Options:
Any kind of pasta can be used in this dish, as carbonara refers to the sauce itself. Many times you will see spaghetti-type pasta used to make this dish, but other pasta shapes can be used as well! Here are some ideas:
- Angel hair
- Bucatini
- Egg noodles
- Fettuccine
- Linguine
No matter what type of pasta you choose, be sure to cook it al dente!
Cheese Options:
If you can’t find any pecorino romano cheese, you can replace it with:
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Parmesan
- Asiago
- Grana Padano
Can I Make This Dish If I’m Allergic To Eggs?
There are a lot of eggs in authentic pasta carbonara. Check out our recipe for eggless spaghetti carbonara if you’re allergic to eggs or simply don’t want to use them!
Does Authentic Carbonara Have Cream?
One of the defining features of this dish is the creamy sauce. Don’t be fooled: authentic carbonara pasta does not include any added cream or milk! The thick and velvety texture of the sauce comes from the eggs.
What Meat Is Traditionally Used In Authentic Pasta Carbonara?
The most authentic pasta carbonara is made with guanciale, which is an Italian cured meat. If you can’t find it in the supermarket, you can also use pancetta or pancetta affumicata. You can also simply use bacon!
Troubleshooting: Why Is My Carbonara Goopy?
If you end up with a goopy carbonara, you probably added too many many egg whites. You can fix this by adding more cheese. Make sure to add it one tablespoon at a time, as you don’t want to overdo it on the cheese either! If you do, simply add a bit of pasta water (water drained from cooked pasta) to fix it.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
You can store any leftover authentic carbonara pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days. It’s best to reheat pasta carbonara over the stove rather than in the microwave. Toss your pasta in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until heated through. If the pasta appears dry, add olive oil 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency and texture you’re after.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious pasta recipes:
Yummm! I made this tonight for the first time and will be making this regularly from now on! Thank you!
Technically authentic is with gunciale, but pancetta and bacon are good substitutes
What cheese can i use instead of the pecorino romano cheese as i cant find any by me (uk)
If you have access to parmesan, that would be good too.
They sell it in aldi
Hope this helps ?
Tasty and easy to make. This has definitely become a family favorite.
I made this for dinner tonight, but combined it with another dish we enjoy and added chicken breast and broccoli. It was so good! I just cubed, seasoned and sautéed boneless chicken breast, set it aside. I blanched the broccoli in the pasta water before cooking the pasta, drained and chopped it up. Then combined them when adding the bacon.
This was my first time making spaghetti carbonara, I tried your recipe because of all of the good reviews. Everybody loved it! I used thick cut bacon and parmesan as i had them on hand. Thank you so much!
Are the eggs cooked? I didn’t think eating raw eggs are good for you.
Yes, the heat from the pasta is enough to cook the eggs. They are not raw.
This recipe was so delicious!! I have been following the same pasta carbonara recipe for years but decided to try this one and it was absolutely fantastic and this is the one I’m going to be following from now on!!!
Absolutely the BEST I have ever made! Everyone loves it and so easy to do. Thanks!
I have been following the Stay At Home Chef for several months now, and I have replicated several of he recipes. All have resulted in excellent results and gotten high praise from my wife, my son, and my ultra-picky 9-year-old grandson (“This is really good, Grandpa!”) This carbonara recipe is to die for, and caused me to respond to this blog. It is wonderful in flavor, texture and richness; and really simple to prepare with minimal cooking skills. Don’t wait another day to make this great dish for the ones you love. You’ll be a hero!