Spaghetti carbonara is creamy, delicious, and incredibly easy! Spaghetti alla carbonara combines crispy pancetta, parmesan cheese, and a creamy sauce made from simple ingredients you likely have on hand.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Creamy and cheesy with crispy, savory pancetta in every bite.
- Budget Tip: To keep costs down, swap pancetta for bacon or try Pecorino Romano in place of Parmesan.
- Swaps: Fettuccine, linguine, or angel hair pasta can be used instead of spaghetti.
- Serving Suggestions: Top with fresh parsley and extra cheese, and serve with a Caesar salad and garlic bread for an easy weeknight meal.
Pantry Staple Ingredients
- Meat: In Italy, carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork cheek), but since it’s hard to find, I use pancetta for that smoky, salty flavor. Swap it for bacon if that’s what you have.
- Cheese: Classic carbonara uses Pecorino Romano, but I use Parmesan since I always have it on hand.
- Eggs: Eggs make the sauce rich and creamy (without cream!). Make sure they are at room temperature to combine smoothly.
- Pasta: Any long pasta, like bucatina or linguine, works well in this recipe; I use spaghetti for a classic carbonara.
More Italian Inspired Favorites
Did you enjoy this Spaghetti Carbonara? Leave a rating or comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 6 slices pancetta or guanciale or bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese or pecarino ramano
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain well but do not rinse.
- Add the hot drained pasta to the skillet with the garlic, and toss to coat.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the egg mixture, mixing well with tongs. If needed, add reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
- Add the pancetta and toss to combine. Season with additional salt to taste.
- Serve hot, garnished with parsley or additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- This dish comes together fast. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
- Cook the pasta until it is ‘al dente’ or firm.
- Do not rinse the pasta, the starch helps the sauce cling.
- Add a bit of pasta water if needed to create a creamy consistency.
- Carbonara will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Because of the creamy sauce it is not recommended to freeze.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 441 | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Tasted great. I messed up and it was sticky, but I will make again minus my mistakes.
This was a flavorful, creamy dish to throw together on any weeknight. I was impressed with how easy it was to make! This will certainly be in my menu rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious and my friend of Italian descent loved it too! I added extra garlic and my partner and I both thought that made it excellent. Thanks for this recipe!
Please forgive me, but what is the guesstament of ONE SESRVING? YUP I am watching intake, but this is so good looking I just need to know. Of course I will be cutting it in half or so since it is just me. YUM YUM YUM
Hi Randi, a serving would be about 1 cup. For better nutritional information we recommend entering values into a nutrition tracker like MyFitnessPal or similar.
Phenomenal! I will be making this monthly for the foreseeable future.
Made the Spaghetti Carbonara for the first time last night with bacon. Very simple with ingredients that we always have in stock and was delicious. It will regularly appear on the meal planner. Thanks!
Made this yesterday & I will definitely be making it again, my 2 boys really enjoyed it. It was delicious
I made basically this recipe tonight. Instead of pork I used small shrimp and a little more garlic. My husband love it. It was creamy and so good. He said this is a keeper.
Being married for 20 years I don’t often try many new recipes as he is pretty much a meat and potato type of guy.
I’ll be making this a regular meal. Next time I’ll try it with the pancetta
So happy you are both enjoying this recipe, Cindy!
Making this tonight… Can’t wait, can’t wait
Simple and tasty. I’ve made this at least a half dozen times now. My husband loves pasta and loves this dish. I kick it up and throw in Italian seasonings, parsley, red pepper, whatever I have on hand. We love it with peas thrown in at the end. I’ve used Aldi pancetta and Italian deli pancetta. Go for deli quality. It makes a world of difference.
I like the reviews I think I’m going to make this soon
Thank you Holly spend with pennies is my new ‘go to ‘the spaghetti carbonara was out of this world!!!
You are very welcome, LaWeez! Glad you enjoyed it.
I would suggest tempering the eggs with the pasta water.
Great suggestion Lynn, thank you!
Basic, quick, and very tasty recipe. I have made this several times and am always pleased. I use the recipe as a guide and add spices and herbs. I also love to add some peas at the end for texture (and I love peas).
This was very good! My daughter wanted to make a carbonara dish for dinner, so we tried this last night. We all enjoyed it very much.
The technique here is the real star! The best explanation for carbonara I’ve found outside of Italy, all the little homestead tips and tricks that usually only grandmas know and teach!
The possibilities of flavor combinations are endless. I didn’t have bacon and only a single egg, but I upped the pecorino and black pepper as well as some red pepper flakes to achieve more of a cacio e pepe dish with a kick and it was DELICIOUS. Silky, creamy, smooth. Everything.
Thanks for the awesome pasta! I’ll share this with anybody who wants a simple weeknight dinner with a little indulgence.
Thank you so much, Jenn! We are so glad you loved this recipe.
I didn’t have bacon and instead used linguica for a Portuguese take, and it was delicious. Thanks.
Sounds great Amy, you are welcome!
I am excited to try this recipe. I plan on using Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan because that’s what I have in the fridge. Should I use a full cup or should I cut the amount down a bit?
I’d use the same amount Ellen. Enjoy!
I am a novice in the kitchen and this recipe is Perfection! The combination of the simplest ingredients creates a super quick, easy and delicious dish. Thank you!
You’re welcome Tracy! So glad to hear that!
This is very easy to make. I followed the recipe to the T. It taste rather bland. I recommend adding salt, and fresh parsley. I also added some crushed red pepper