Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

This recipe for the classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara is almost perfect and flawless. But even if it wasn't, who would care? It tastes amazing, and that's all that truly matters. While traditionally made with pancetta, an Italian-style bacon, I actually prefer using regular bacon in this dish. One small suggestion: for a creamy, silky sauce, combine the cheese and beaten eggs before adding them to the pasta off the heat. There's really no need to tinker with or modify anything else here because this dish is simply delicious!

I prepared this dish for dinner and my entire family adored it! It's now a must-have item in our menu rotation. The only modification I made was adding a bit more olive oil than the recipe suggested since my previous attempt at making spaghetti carbonara using a different recipe turned out a bit dry. Additionally, I reserved a quarter cup of pasta water to pour over the dish after combining all the ingredients.

I have a different approach to this recipe. Instead of bacon, I suggest using pancetta. Additionally, when it comes to the eggs, using three separated egg yolks works best for me. Remember to reserve a mug full of pasta water to add to the dish.

I absolutely love this dish! Following the recipe the first time was delicious, but my husband found it a bit too dry. To solve this, the second time I added a small amount (2-3 tbsp) of heavy whipping cream along with the garlic, onions, and bacon, letting it thicken before mixing in the pasta. The sauce was light and evenly distributed over the noodles. Combining the parmesan cheese and eggs as suggested in a comment and mixing it in while the noodles were still warm made a huge difference. This time, it was much less dry and sticky, and the cream added a new depth of flavor. This will definitely be a regular dish in our home! Thank you for the fantastic recipe.

This recipe turned out delicious! I made a few adjustments since I didn't have white wine, so I used red wine instead. I also added some cream to make it extra creamy. I left the partially cooked bacon in the pan while cooking the onion and garlic. I didn't have much onion, but I used a small amount and cooked it in a little olive oil along with the bacon. I decided to keep all the bacon grease in the pan for flavor and didn't add more oil. I sautéed the onion and garlic with the bacon before adding the red wine and noodles. Even though my eggs curdled slightly when adding them to the pasta, the dish still turned out great with the addition of Parmesan cheese.

Tasty and delicious! 😋

One crucial tip for achieving better texture is to carefully add the cooked spaghetti back into the pot of boiling water. Gently dip, drain, and combine the spaghetti with the bacon and onion mixture for a delicious result.

First of all, the traditional carbonara should be prepared with guanciale, which is not commonly available in the U.S. Pancetta and bacon can be used as substitutes. Additionally, while the authentic carbonara calls for pecorino romano, I personally enjoy it more with parmigiano reggiano. Lastly, it is important to note that garlic should never be included in this dish. Classic carbonara does not contain any garlic.

I substituted bacon for pancetta and skipped the white wine, opting for extra pasta water instead. The recipe turned out fantastic - quick and simple to make!

Great taste! I enhanced the creaminess by adding a cup of pasta water. Substituted red wine for white, and included 3 tablespoons of cream. Cooked the onion and garlic with the bacon, leaving it in the pan. Used a small amount of olive oil while cooking the bacon to preserve its flavor. Didn't drain the bacon grease, opting to use it for cooking. Added red wine, followed by the noodles. Mixed in the egg and cream mixture, along with Parmesan and pasta water. Although my eggs curdled slightly, most likely due to the temperature when adding the mixture, the dish still turned out delicious!