Pasta Carbonara
This easy Pasta Carbonara recipe, along with the tips and tricks above, is sure to put any carbonara-fears in the past! Deliciously creamy, complimented with the savoury saltiness of the pancetta and 2 different cheeses, makes for the easiest and tastiest Carbonara!
Ingredients
- 340 grams (12 oz) Long Variety Pasta, such as Spaghetti
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 120 grams Pancetta, cut into small cubes
- 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed or minced
- 1-2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 6 Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream, room temperature
- 60 grams Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 60 grams Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Lemon Zest, to finish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to box time, should be around 8-10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add cream, egg yolks, and parsley, and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Then in a large pan, heat butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until pancetta starts to turn golden brown. Then add garlic to pan and continue to sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Garlic should be fragrant, but not burning, and the pancetta should be golden brown (like cooked bacon).
- Remove pan from heat and add pasta to the pan, toss until the pasta is well coated. Add cream/egg mixture to pan and quickly toss very well with pasta. The hot pasta should heat the sauce up enough to thicken it.
- Add cheeses to pasta and toss to combine. Add pasta water to pan in small increments, tossing to combine, until the sauce has become creamy, glossy, and has a silky consistency (loose enough to easily drag pasta through, but not watery).
- Optional: If the pasta and sauce are too loose in consistency, continue cooking pasta over low heat, until the sauce thickens. Careful not to heat too fast or overheat, as it will scramble the eggs.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, top with more parmesan and parsley for serving, and grate a small amount of lemon zest on if that is your thing!