This Creamy Carbonara recipe is a plate of heavenly, creamy pasta. Silky spaghetti with crispy pancetta in a super creamy and cheesy sauce. Simply delicious and so easy to make at home.
Crispy pancetta is my absolute favorite member of the vegetable food group. Wait…you mean it’s not a vegetable? Well this is Jo Cooks world, and in this world – we get 3 – 4 servings of pancetta a day. This delectable pork topper adds the perfect texture and flavor to our creamy dreamy oh so silky carbonara.
At its core, this Italian dish is from Rome and is super super simple. It’s made from egg, hard sharp cheese, pepper, and guanciale – a cured pork. If guanciale is a little too hard to find pancetta or bacon works in a snap.
My carbonara recipe uses some cream to thicken it all up and ensure it really sticks to your ribs. Yes, I know the traditional dish doesn’t have cream in it, but that’s why this is creamy carbonara!
Classic Italian carbonara sauce is typically made with just 4 ingredients: eggs, black pepper, pecorino Romano (or parmesan), and guanciale (or pancetta). Of course, you can play around with the ingredients to your liking (we added cream and garlic to this one and often use bacon or ham instead of pancetta!)
How To Make Creamy Carbonara
- Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Crisp the pancetta: Add the pancetta to a large skillet and saute over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Get saucey: Add the half and half to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce followed by the Parmesan cheese. Stir in the black pepper. Taste for salt and season if needed.
- Finish the carbonara: Add the cooked spaghetti, bacon and basil to the skillet and toss well to combine. Garnish with more cheese and serve hot!
If you want to go as authentic as possible, nix the cream and hunt down some guanciale, which is available is most specialty Italian supermarkets. Just keep in mind that axing the cream will result in a dish that is a bit drier, hence not quite a creamy carbonara. For pasta you can also use fettuccine, rigatoni, or bucatini.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 – 4 days. This creamy carbonara recipe does not freeze well as the pasta can become mushy and the egg based sauce may separate upon reheating so try to make it day or week of if you’re planning on feasting!
Carbonara Sauce Fluffy texture, please try it!!
FAQ
What is traditional carbonara sauce made of?
What’s the difference between alfredo sauce and carbonara sauce?
What does carbonara sauce taste like?
Why is carbonara so creamy?
What is Carbonara made of?
Traditionally, carbonara is made with guanciale, a robustly flavored cured meat from central Italy which is made from pork jowl. While it’s possible to find guanciale at some specialty markets in the U.S., pancetta or bacon are much easier to come by.
What is Carbonara sauce?
Carbonara sauce is a classic Italian sauce that’s famous for its rich, creamy and indulgent flavour. The key ingredients in a traditional carbonara sauce includes bacon or guanciale, eggs, black pepper and pecorino romano or parmesan cheese. These ingredients are the base components that give the sauce its signature texture and flavour.
Does spaghetti carbonara have cream?
Spaghetti carbonara is an iconic Italian recipe but often times in restaurants it is absolutely loaded with cream, which has no place in the original recipe. All the cream and cheese makes restaurant carbonara a hefty dish we often feel guilty for eating. And it does make us feel quite heavy afterwards.
How long does it take to make Carbonara sauce?
Carbonara sauce is an indulgent egg-based sauce that can be made quickly in less than 20 minutes and is not fixed by a specific type of hard cheese or pasta. This recipe uses bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, whole eggs, and garlic. Traditionally Spaghetti Carbonara is made with pancetta or Guanciale.