Spaghetti Carbonara

Name: Spaghetti Carbonara
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 200 g spaghetti; 120 g guanciale or pancetta; 2 eggs plus 1 yolk; 60 g Pecorino Romano; 1 tsp black pepper; to taste salt, for the pasta water

Egg, cured pork, and pepper — no cream anywhere.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Active: 25 min
Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Cuisine: italian

Servings2

Ask about this recipe

Substitutions, swaps, equipment, scaling — the recipe stays right here.

Ingredients

7 oz spaghetti
4 oz guanciale or pancetta, cut into short batons
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
2 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked
to taste salt, for the pasta water

Steps

Render the pork in a cold dry skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Kill the heat.
Boil the spaghetti until al dente and reserve a mug of pasta water.
Beat the eggs, yolk, pecorino, and pepper into a thick paste.
Toss the drained pasta into the pork and fat off the heat, then stir in the egg mixture with a splash of pasta water until creamy.
Loosen with more water as needed and serve immediately with extra pecorino.

If the pan is hot enough to sizzle, it is hot enough to scramble the eggs.

Food safety The eggs are only lightly cooked; use pasteurized eggs if serving anyone vulnerable.