A note from our recipe tester: “For a sauce that's smooth and light, make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you start - cold eggs can lead to clumps in your sauce. Whisking your egg whites and yolks together to form an egg mixture very well ensures a smooth and velvety texture. Don't skip adding that extra egg yolk either as it contains a higher fat content which emulsifies better. When it comes to adding the egg mixture, I like to remove the pan from the heat to reduce the risk of ending up with scrambled eggs - it’s the residual heat from the pasta that cooks the sauce and gives it its velvety texture, not the heat of the pan.”- Michelle Southan, Food Director
Complete this indulgent spaghetti carbonara recipe with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt over the hot pasta.
Hot tip: reserve a little hot pasta water (the pasta cooking water) that you can add to your spaghetti alla carbonara sauce if you need to thin it out. The sauce thickens on standing, which is often the preference, but if you prefer thinner sauces you can add the hot pasta water (reserve it while cooking pasta).
What is real carbonara made of?
Hailing from Rome, Carbonara is a classic pasta traditionally made from guanciale (an Italian cured pork), Pecorino Romano cheese, egg yolks and fresh black pepper. Cream and garlic are popular additions, and, while not totally authentic, they help elevate the sauce adding layers of flavour. Parmesan cheese is also a popular substitute for the Pecorino, as it can be easily found in supermarkets and is generally cheaper than Pecorino.
What's the difference between carbonara and alfredo?
Similar to Carbonara, traditional Alfredo sauce uses only a few ingredients: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, otherwise known as Paremsan, unsalted butter and black pepper. However, much like carbonara recipes, alfredo recipes have evolved and thick cream and garlic are often added to give the dish extra oomph. Try our delicious creamy Alfredo recipe.
What does carbonara mean in Italian?
Carbonara in Italian translates to ‘coal miner’s wife’ and ‘carbone’ means coal. There are various claims to the dish’s origin. Some say carbonara was first made for coal miners, others believe that it was originally cooked over hot coals and some claim that the fresh black pepper in the dish resembles coal.
What is the golden rule of cooking carbonara?
The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they’re completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it’s soft but still firm, with some bite.
Should I use cream in my carbonara?
According to taste.com.au Food Director Amira Georgy: “Traditionally, carbonara sauce contains no cream, just eggs and cheese. The eggs and cheese are added to the hot pasta and tossed together until a silky sauce forms.” These days, modern recipes like our carbonara recipe like to add a little cream to help thicken the sauce. Use double cream for a rich and silky texture.
What pasta should I use in carbonara?
The traditional dish uses spaghetti, but rigatoni is also popular as it holds the sauce well. You can of course use any pasta shape you prefer as the sauce is the main star here.
FAQs
The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.
Which ingredient should never be used in traditional carbonara? ›
What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.
What spaghetti is best for carbonara? ›
The most common options are traditional spaghetti and tube-like rigatoni. Both are delicious and hold the sauce perfectly, so it all comes down to taste!
What are the biggest carbonara mistakes? ›
15 Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Carbonara
- Adding your eggs while the pasta is still on the heat. Anton27/Shutterstock. ...
- Not coating your pasta completely. ...
- Using bacon instead of guanciale. ...
- Not whisking your eggs enough. ...
- Using parmesan instead of pecorino. ...
- Not grinding your own pepper. ...
- Using cold eggs. ...
- Adding extra ingredients.
Some preparations have more sauce and therefore use tubular pasta, such as penne, which is better suited to holding sauce. Cream is not used in most Italian recipes, with some exceptions. However, it is often employed in other countries, as adding cream makes the dish more stable.
How many eggs should I put in my carbonara? ›
I like to use a ratio of 1 whole egg to 3 egg yolks because it balances the richness. If you are looking to avoid using raw eggs, I would recommend making my Cacio e Pepe recipe – this is another one of the four classic Roman pastas but requires only three ingredients (cheese, pepper, and pasta).
Does carbonara use whole egg or egg yolk? ›
Carbonara traditionally uses both whole eggs and egg yolks. The whole eggs provide richness and structure to the sauce, while the egg yolks add creaminess and flavor. To make an authentic carbonara, start by cooking guanciale or pancetta (Italian cured meats) until crispy, then add cooked pasta to the pan.
Do Italians put garlic in carbonara? ›
Must-have ingredients
that there are only five ingredients: pasta, pork cheek, eggs, cheese and pepper. That's it. A real carbonara does not contain onion, garlic, or cream.
How do you not get salmonella from carbonara? ›
The use of thermal processing is the most effective method for Salmonella inactivation in preparations containing eggs. Consequently, according to regulatory agencies, it is generally mandatory that these preparations must be completely cooked to a temperature of at least 70 °C.
What's the difference between carbonara and Italian carbonara? ›
The Italian one is a carbonara, the US one is something else. The Italian one is made with guanciale (pig cheeks), egg, pecorino cheese and pepper. The US one is made with bacon and cream.
Method
- Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, fry pancetta in oil in a frying pan for a few mins until golden and crisp. Add garlic, fry for 1 min, then turn off the heat. ...
- Drain pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add eggs and a tbsp of cooking water, then mix until pasta is coated and creamy.
Dolmio Jar Sauces (Carbonara Pasta Bake 2 x 480g)
How to stop carbonara from scrambling? ›
Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.
What thickens carbonara? ›
Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese. Using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn't scramble, and everything is coated. Add extra pasta cooking water to keep it saucy (several tablespoons should do it).
What is the trick about carbonara sauce? ›
Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture. Think of scrambled eggs. You don't want streaks of egg white in a scramble, and you definitely don't want them in carbonara.
How to make sure carbonara doesn't scramble? ›
Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.
How to make carbonara without egg curdling? ›
Add a little of the pasta cooking water when you bring the spaghetti into the pan with the pancetta/bacon. The water is starchy, so acts as a natural thickener, making the dish extra silky. It's also taking some of that sting out of the pan heat so you can add the eggs and cheese without scrambling.
How do you not break carbonara? ›
Add a few ladles of pasta water and stir until the mixture begins to resemble a sauce. Take another ladle of the pasta water and add it to the egg bowl, whisking it all together. THIS MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO COOK THE EGG WITHOUT SCRAMBLING IT.
