Description
This classic Spaghetti Carbonara recipe delivers a creamy, comforting pasta dish featuring crispy bacon, garlic, and a rich Parmesan-egg sauce tossed with perfectly cooked spaghetti. Quick to prepare and full of flavor, it's an ideal meal for any weeknight.
Ingredients
Scale
Meats
- 3 oz. bacon
Pasta
- 12 oz. spaghetti
Dairy & Eggs
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (divided)
Produce & Herbs
- 2 cloves garlic
- handful fresh parsley (optional)
Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Fill a large pot with water, add salt, place a lid on the pot, and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Cook Bacon and Garlic: While waiting, cut bacon into small pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium-low heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon. Mince garlic, add to the warm skillet, sauté for about one minute till fragrant, then turn off heat.
- Prepare Egg Mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper until well combined for a creamy sauce.
- Cook Spaghetti: Add pasta to boiling water, stir well, and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander.
- Combine Pasta and Bacon Liquid: Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the skillet with bacon drippings, stir to dissolve browned bits. Add drained hot pasta to skillet and toss to coat.
- Create Carbonara Sauce: Pour egg and Parmesan mixture over hot pasta and immediately stir or toss vigorously. The residual heat cooks the eggs forming a creamy sauce. Continue stirring until sauce forms.
- Finish: Add remaining Parmesan, reserved bacon bits, and extra cracked pepper. Toss again. If sauce is too thick, add more reserved pasta water as needed.
- Serve: Taste and adjust salt, Parmesan, or pepper as desired. Top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- My handful of fresh parsley equals about 1/4 cup, or 1/6 of a bunch minced.
- Avoid adding too much salt to pasta water since the dish gets additional salt from bacon and cheese. Adjust salt at the end if needed.
- Work quickly when tossing egg mixture with hot pasta to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 630 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
