If there’s one recipe to which I owe credit to kick-starting my cooking journey, it’s carbonara.
It’s the perfect blend of simplicity and technique, with a low floor for success but a high ceiling for perfection.
My first attempt was in 2013 (pictured below) on recommendation from a friend who was from the northeast of Italy. I didn’t follow any kind of recipe and just assembled the ingredients she told me to use, ending up with a pile of pasta with congealed egg and cheese. I had no idea why she enjoyed carbonara so much until I got some more practice under my belt.
With five ingredients and 15 minutes, you’ll have a rich, creamy, and indulgent plate of pasta perfect for a date night in, sharing with guests, or slurping up on the couch in front of an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
I’ve picked up several tips, tricks, and techniques during my 10 years of making this dish — and have come a long way from that first photo — so let’s dive in!
Before Getting Started
Because carbonara only has five ingredients, I recommend finding the highest quality ingredients that are accessible to you.
I am lucky enough to have the specialty Italian goods store Eataly here in Boston (as well as the North End, a historically Italian neighborhood!), so that’s where I went to grab a few beautiful D.O.P. products.
Pasta
I prefer long pasta, but short shapes are also wonderful. It just depends on whether you prefer the sauce to coat strands of noodles, or to nestle within curves and crevices.
Ethan Chlebowski and Alex from French Guy Cooking both have excellent guides on buying dried pasta at many different price points. The key is to look for bronze die-extruded pasta for those little craggy edges as opposed to the plastic-smooth surface that comes from a more rapid production process.
Also, fresh pasta won’t work here! The starch that comes off dried pasta is crucial and fresh pasta is too delicate to hold up to the sauce and the agitation needed to properly create it.
Cheese
If you can, purchase a fresh wedge or block of parmesan and/or pecorino romano and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese includes anti-caking agents that will prevent your sauce from coming together.
If pre-grated cheese is what’s accessible to you, read the ingredients to check for cellulose, which is the most common anti-caking agent found in packaged cheese.
Traditional carbonara uses pecorino (or a blend of pecorino and parmesan), but choose what you prefer. Pecorino tends to be sharp, tangy, and funky, while parmesan has a mellow, nutty flavor. The more aged the cheese, the stronger the flavor.
Alternatives: Grana padano tastes quite similar and if often less expensive!
Unfortunately, many hard-aged cheeses are not vegetarian as they contain rennet, a set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of cows and other livestock animals.
However, there are also many vegetarian options that use plant-based rennet; just make sure to read the label and check the ingredients! For example, the BelGioioso brand can be found in many standard U.S. grocery stores and offers a vegetarian parmesan.
Eggs
If you live close to a farmer’s market or similar, it’s definitely worth it to purchase those beautiful farm-fresh eggs. The yolks will be rich and deep orange, and the flavor is often more complex than grocery store eggs. (Bonus points if you have your own chickens!)
As with all the ingredients in this recipe, you can also find a wide range of price points and quality at a standard American grocery store, so go with what works best for you.
Pork product
Guanciale is cured pork jowl and extremely traditional for carbonara, but it can be very difficult to find, especially if you don’t have access to an Italian specialty foods store or a nearby butcher with comprehensive options.
Alternatives: Pancetta, or thick-cut bacon. The flavor profile will change a bit, so keep that in mind when considering your options. Pancetta lacks the pungent, cured flavor of guanciale and is on the milder side, while bacon is particularly smoky and salty.
(Note: I’ll have some vegan and vegetarian options later on!)
Pepper
Avoid pre-ground pepper if at all possible; spices begin to lose flavor as soon as they are ground, so use whole peppercorns in a pepper mill or a mortar and pestle with whole peppercorns if you can!
Some recipes recommend toasting the peppercorns in a hot, dry pan but I’ve found it doesn’t make too much difference unless you have specialty peppercorns that benefit greatly from this process. (TLDR; don’t give yourself extra steps if it’s not necessary!)
Technique & Process
Mise en place
Like with pretty much all cooking, the journey will be much less stressful if you get your prep done first.
For the guanciale, cut it into thin slivers to mimic the shape of the spaghetti. If using a short pasta, a dice works better for the same reason.
Pancetta often comes pre-diced, or you can cut it the same way as above. Bacon can be sliced or chopped into bite-sized pieces, depending on your textural preference.
If you’re grinding your pepper in a mortar and pestle, now’s the time. I use about a half a tablespoon of whole peppercorns.
In a bowl, scramble together the egg and grated cheese so it forms a paste with a “dropping” consistency. This means when you lift your utensil from the bowl, the mixture will cling on for a second or so before dropping back down. The ratio here is up to you, but for a single serving, I like one whole egg plus one egg yolk, and about a quarter to one-third cup of grated parmesan. Add in your freshly ground pepper and use more than you think you need!
After all your mise is en place, the cooking can commence.
Cooking methods
Cook your pasta in less water than you might be accustomed to. This not only saves time on bringing it to a boil, but also concentrates that all-important starch the pasta releases. This starchiness is one of the main components that helps to emulsify the sauce and contributes to a silky texture.
Fill a shallow pan with enough water that will cover the pasta by a few inches, then turn the heat to high. Season the water with salt as usual, but scale it back to account for the reduction in liquid and the saltiness of all the other ingredients.
As the water comes up to a boil, put a dry, cold pan on the stove and turn it to low. Add in your guanciale/pancetta/bacon and slowly allow it to render.
Once the water is boiling, drop your pasta in and give it a stir to prevent sticking.
The pasta and the pork will cook in tandem. Just give each pan a little mix every few minutes to keep things moving. If the meat isn’t cooking as quickly as you’d like, turn the heat up a notch or two. You want the texture at the end to still be tender rather than hard and crispy, so keep an eye on it!
When the pasta is about two minutes short from done, turn the heat off under your meat. If there’s too much rendered fat in the pan, drain some off or mop it up with a paper towel, but make sure there’s at least a couple spoonfuls left.
Transfer the pasta to that pan with tongs or a spider strainer, along with whatever water happens to come with it. Give everything a brief toss to coat the pasta in the rendered fat, then add a ladle of the remaining pasta water, which will also cool down the temperature of the pan. If you still hear sizzling, wait about a minute, then add in the egg and cheese mixture, and start vigorously agitating everything.
If you’re worried about scrambling, splash some hot pasta water into the egg mixture before adding it to your pasta. This will help to temper the eggs and give you some leeway.
I like to hold the pan handle in my right hand and move it back and forth, while I hold the tongs in my left hand and toss everything together. This both cooks the egg and incorporates in some air, which contributes to emulsification and a light, smooth texture. If things are getting too clumpy, add more pasta water, a splash or two at a time.
Once you’re at a custard consistency, add just a touch more pasta water; the sauce will congeal a bit as it cools.
Serve in warmed plates or bowls and top with extra cheese and pepper if you wish and eat immediately!
If you need additional guidance, check out how the professionals do it:
The bain-marie method
If you don’t mind using a few extra bowls and you’re particularly worried about timing and/or the potential of eating raw egg, you can use the bain marie method and cook your ingredients in stages. This does take just a tad more time and might increase the dish from a 15-minute meal to a 20-minute meal, but your chances for success will also increase!
With this method, cook the meat first, same as above. Once it’s cooked to your liking, turn the heat off and drain the rendered fat into a separate bowl.
Place the bowl of egg and cheese mixture over the pan/pot of boiling water that you’ll be using to cook your pasta. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t actually touch the water and start whisking.
If it’s cooking a little too quickly (i.e. starting to scramble or seize up), just take it off the heat and continue to whisk. Drizzle in the reserved pork fat a bit at a time.
According to the FDA, a safe temperature at which to cook eggs is 160 degrees fahrenheit. You can check along the way if you have a kitchen thermometer, but if you don’t, you can also purchase pasteurized eggs for extra safety (or pasteurize your own!).
Once your sauce is at the desired consistency, take it off the heat and set aside.
Drop your pasta and cook until fully done, rather than to al dente. Strain and save a few ladles of the pasta water.
Add the pasta to a large bowl and pour the sauce over. Toss vigorously as if you were dressing a salad and use a splash of pasta water at a time to keep things smooth and silky. If things are getting too loose, add in a couple more sprinklings of grated cheese.
As above, serve in warmed plates or bowls and top with extra cheese and pepper if you wish and eat immediately.
To see this method in action, check out these examples:
Luciano Monosilio - the video is in Italian but there are subtitles if you need them!
Plus a behind-the-scenes!
Alex AÏnouz from French Guy Cooking
And if you don’t want to go to the trouble of stirring over a bain-marie but you’re still concerned about the risk of scrambling, check out these videos:
Variations
Egg, cheese, and pork alone may not be to your tastes; Ethan Chlebowski offers a spicy variation on his website. The teams over at Epicurious and Bon Appétit also produced some fun and experimental variations if you’re feeling ambitious!
Enjoy this gallery of my (extremely similar) variations, photographed under a range of lighting conditions.
For my plant-based friends, a common alternative (or supplement!) to the pork element is mushrooms. Slice thinly or tear into bite-sized pieces and add to a hot, dry pan in a single layer to allow the water to evaporate and the mushrooms to develop some browning and crispiness.
Bon Appétit has a great recipe if you need some inspiration!
I have yet to try a fully vegan version of carbonara, but from what I’ve gathered from my research, to mimic the savory, smoky, creamy flavors of traditional carbonara, ingredients like miso paste, nutritional yeast, silken tofu, and liquid smoke can do a lot of heavy lifting.
Vegan carbonara recipes:
How to Cook Vegan Carbonara by The Italian Vegan
Don’t Make Carbonara the Old Way by The Sauce Stache
Easy Vegan Carbonara Recipe by Rose from Cheap Lazy Vegan
Plant-based carbonara by Wil from Yeung Man Cooking
Final Notes
Add-ins
These additions may mean that your dish is no longer “carbonara,” but they will add nutrition, satiety, and even more deliciousness.
Carbonara pairs well with light spring vegetables like peas, zucchini, leeks, or asparagus.
You can make the sauce ahead of time in a blender and add cooked cauliflower, though keep in mind that this will change the flavor profile a bit and become more vegetal.
Crush a clove of garlic and add it whole to your pan while your meat is rendering.
If you’re extra fancy, finish with a drizzle of truffle oil or a sprinkle of truffle salt.
Roman pastas
Carbonara is just one out of the family of classic Roman pastas: cacio e pepe, amatriciana, alla gricia, and (potentially) pasta alla zozzona. I won’t go through all of them in this newsletter, but there’s multiple resources out there if you’re looking to compare and contrast. Feel free to embark on your own Roman holiday and explore!
Buon appetito!