Classic Pasta Carbonara is an iconic Italian dish that showcases the incredible flavors of just a few key ingredients, including eggs, cheese, pancetta, and black pepper, resulting in a rich and satisfying meal. To elevate your dining experience, pair it with a creamy Caesar salad and indulgent cheesy garlic bread for the perfect culinary combination.
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🥚The Ingredients
The humble ingredients come together to create the perfect pasta dish, delivering a deliciously rich flavor and creamy texture that highlights the beauty of simplicity in Italian cuisine. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
🧀 Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta – Any long form of pasta will work for the dish. We love bucatini, which is a thick, tubular pasta. But spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine are all great options, too.
- Cheese – For the best dish, we highly recommend using block cheese that you fresh grate just before preparing the dish. Parmesan cheese is a fine substitution for the Pecorino Romano.
- Pork – To keep the dish vegetarian, simply omit the pancetta. Cubed pancetta can usually be found near the deli section of most well-stocked supermarkets. Chopped thick bacon is a good substitution. If you can get your hands on it, guanciale (pork jowl bacon) is delicious and used in Classic Bucatini all’Amatriciana.
- Parsley – Fresh is best. We don’t recommend dried parsley for the dish.
See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Classic Pasta Carbonara
- Step 1: Sauté the cubed pancetta in a large skillet. Remove and then sauté the garlic.
- Step 2: Add pasta to salted boiling water.
- Step 3: Mix the eggs and cheese together in a large pasta bowl.
- Step 4: Stir the cooked pancetta into the egg and cheese mixture.
- Step 5: Add the cooked pasta and season with pasta with salt and pepper.
- Step 6: Stir in pasta water to reach the desired consistency.
🍽️ How To Serve
- This dish is best served immediately after it is prepared.
- Toss the hot pasta with the egg and cheese mixture and pasta water and then serve immediately. We even love to do this final step at the table and let guests serve themselves (or we plate for them).
- Wine Pairing: A dry white is perfect, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc. However, the sauce is luxurious and a red blend would be wonderful, too.
🔥 How To Store and Reheat
- This is one of those dishes that should not be made far in advance of serving. In fact, don’t start making it until you are close to serving.
- If you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container with a lid and refrigerate for no more than several days.
- Reheat in a skillet on the stove over medium heat. You’ll need to loosen the sauce with a splash of broth or water. Milk can be added to provide more creaminess.
Frequently Asked Questions
The eggs will cook when the hot pancetta and hot pasta are mixed with them. However, precautions should be taken when serving anyone with a compromised immune system.
We don’t recommend it. The sauce will thicken and never regain the silky texture when the dish first comes together. Leftovers are still tasty, though.
Bucatini is very traditional, but spaghetti is perfect, too. Linguine and fettuccine are great options, too.
🍝 Other Classic Italian Pasta Recipes
Ready to make the best pasta dish this side of Rome? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Classic Pasta Carbonara
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pancetta diced, or quality slab bacon
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb dry bucatini or spaghetti
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese freshly grated, or Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pancetta to the skillet. Cook until the fat has rendered, about 4 minutes.8 ounces pancetta
- Drain excess fat…there should be about 2 tablespoons left in the skillet.
- Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.5 cloves garlic
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook following package directions (usually, about 9 – 12 minutes for al dente).1 lb dry bucatini
- Add the eggs and cheese to a large pasta bowl and mix thoroughly.4 eggs, ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Add the cooked pancetta/garlic mixture to the egg/cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Once ready, drain the pasta, but be sure to reserve about 1 cup of the pasta liquid.
- Immediately add the pasta to the egg/cheese/pancetta mixture and fully incorporate.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, about 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Mix in half of the parsley.¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Add about a ½ to ¾ cup of the pasta water to thin the sauce a little.
- Plate the pasta and garnish with additional cheese and parsley.
Diane says
Another fabulous Loon dinner. Delicious carbonara. I added some onion and crushed red pepper. It was a heavenly creamy dish with no leftovers for lunch. As always, thanks again for a great recipe and making me look like a way better cook than I am. You guys make my culinary skills look like a master chef. Happy holidays to you both.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Diane! Yay!! This is truly one of our all-time favorite pasta recipes to prepare and we are so so happy you enjoyed it, too. Chopped onion and crushed red pepper is perfection! You ARE a GREAT cook, Diane! You are having fun in the kitchen and making scrumptious meals. That is the very definition of a good (great) cook!! Keep it up! We LOVE IT!!! Kris & Wesley
Judy says
Thank you for answering my question regarding making this dish ahead of time. It worked perfectly. I always change recipes, but not yours, why mess with perfection! My only problem with the Carbonara is they ate it all, so there today’s lunch gone!
Mark says
Tried this recipe last evening. Absolutely spectacular and so very delicious. Quick and easy to make (followed the recipe to a “t”) and the entire family loved it. This will be on the “go to” list for years to come. (Oh, and I lived in Bell’ Italia for three years and ate plenty of carbonara … this is easily at the top of the list!). Thanks Kris for yet another winning recipe!
krislongwell says
Hi Mark!! Wow! That is so awesome to hear. So very glad you loved it and coming from a native Italian makes us feel very proud and honored. And thank you so much for letup us know!! That means so much to us!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Kristina Palmer says
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Judy says
Is it possible to make in advance? When we have guests we have cocktails first, and then I like to serve with a minimum amount of work.
krislongwell says
Hi Judy!! So very sorry for the delayed response!!!! What we would recommend is cook the pancetta and garlic first. Have it mixed with the egg and cheese in your serving bowl. Then cook the pasta once the guest arrive and then quickly toss with the pancetta/egg/cheese mixture plus remember to save a cup of the pasta water to thin the sauce a bit. I wouldn’t recommend preparing it completely ahead of time. It will lose it’s silky texture. But you certainly can all the way up to mixing it with the hot pasta. And we TOTALLY understand what you’re saying. Gotta have some pre-dinner cocktails to get the party going!! Let us know how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley
Michelle says
This once again was absolutely scrumptious. I made this last night for dinner. I did not change anything. It was easy to make, but you wouldn’t think it was easy after tasting it. It would be a lovely dish to serve friends. It was creamy and very flavorful. I have made pasta carbonara a million times. This was the best recipe I had ever made. My husband ate every bite. It was ccreamy without being thick and filling. Will be my go to carbonara from now on!
The Loon says
That is absolutely so wonderful to hear! I worked on that carbonara recipe for quite a while until we felt is was just perfect. Can’t tell you enough how much it means to us that you and your hubby loved it!! Thank so much for letting us know! You’re the best! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Kim says
First new recipe of 2017 to try and it was simply delish ! It took all of about 20 minutes and was fantastic. 🙂 Too bad I can’t post a pic
krislongwell says
YES!!!!!!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I definitely am craving carbonara right now.. this just looks so creamy, comforting and delicious.
krislongwell says
It’s so good, isn’t it Thalia?! We LOVE good ole carbonara. Simple, creamy…and so good!