Authentic Italian Carbonara is a creamy, delicious dish that is based on the Cacio e Pepe recipe, with guanciale and eggs added to it. Everything is cooked up about the same time it takes for your pasta to be done. The result is just a beautiful, creamy, rich dish and a quick meal. This recipe makes a Bacon Carbonara with the use of Bacon & Parmigiano Reggiano. Guanciale or pancetta, as well as pecorino, can all be used as well.
Carbonara Ingredients
Spaghetti or other long pasta, Bacon (or guanciale or pancetta), Parmigiano (or Pecorino, or 50/50 of each), Eggs, and Black Peppercorn.
Carbonara Pasta
Traditionally, spaghetti or bucatini is used. Although you can use fettuccine, rigatoni, linguine, or tonnarelli. Use a scale with a drinking glass scaled off and place the pasta in the glass, using 100 g per serving.
How to boil Pasta
Fill a pasta pot up with 16 cups of water and 1 Tbl of Sea Salt. Bring to a boil over max heat and add the pasta. Give it a mix and cover so that it returns to a boil faster. Once boiling, cook uncovered and mix again every so often until the pasta is al dente, about 13 minutes.
You will want to adjust the salt content of the pasta water depending on the type of Cheese and meat being used.
Carbonara Salt Content
The salt content of carbonara depends on a few factors (salted pasta water, type of meat, and type of cheese). The first place to adjust the saltiness of carbonara is the pasta water. Typically, 2 Tbl of sea salt are added to 16 cups of water for boiling pasta. For carbonara, both the cheese & meat will be salty. Even more so if using Guanciale and/or Pecorino. So the salt for the pasta is dropped by half using 1 Tbl of sea salt for 16 cups of water when using bacon and parmigiano. If using pecorino or guanciale, then halve it again (1/2 Tbl of sea salt for 16 cups of water).
After adjusting the salt content for the pasta water. Further adjustments are made by the amount and type of cheese you add as well as the type of meat you add and how much. This may require adjustments to create a carbonara dish that is balanced for your taste or not overly salty. However, the carbonara ratios lower in this post are a very good starting point, and you can make preferential changes from here.
Guanciale
This is an Italian cured pork cheek or jowl. The word “guanciale” is Italian for “cheek.” Pork cheek is rubbed with black or red pepper, thyme, or fennel with curing salt and sometimes contains garlic. After being rubbed with the spice blend, it is hung to dry cure. Traditionally, guanciale is not smoked. However, the smoked version is popular in Rome.
Most recipes use this at about half, with some the same weight in pasta. Weigh out 50 g of guanciale per 100 g of pasta.
Pancetta
Pancetta is another Italian-cured product made from the pork belly. This product is brined with a spice blend and afterwards smoked. Pancetta can be exchanged for guanciale in carbonara, but guanciale is traditionally used and more flavorful than pancetta. Add 1-2 Tbl of fat as well, since pancetta is more lean than guanciale.
Bacon Carbonara
Bacon is often used in place of guanciale or pancetta, and again, the result will not be as flavorful as guanciale or, to a lesser extent, pancetta. But it does work and is much cheaper. While thick-cut bacon is best if you can, even your standard bacon is fine. Even curing your own, something I was testing and pictured below.
There are also two ways to handle the bacon after it is cooked, depending on your preferences.
- The first option is to add crushed black peppercorn to the bacon after straining the grease. Then add some pasta water to simmer both the bacon and black pepper until they soften.
- The second option is to remove the bacon and add it back in later at any stage. Add the black pepper to the pan to toast briefly, followed by some pasta water to simmer and soften the black peppercorn.
The first option will give you softer bits due to simmering in the pasta water. The second option will keep the bacon crisper better than if simmered in pasta water. You can also reserve some crispy bacon to garnish with.
Carbonara Cheese
Pecorino is traditionally used for Italian carbonara. Although Parmigiano Reggiano can be used too, and sometimes the combination of Parmesan & Pecorino, it’s just the same for Cacio e Pepe. I always buy the Parmigiano Reggiano and use it pretty much across the board with various recipes. The key thing to remember is that Pecorino is saltier than Parmigiano. So if using pecorino, then you will want to reduce the amount of salt in the pasta water.
Use 25 g of finely grated cheese per 100 g of pasta for a single serving. This can be upped to 50 g or an additional 25 g of Pecorino added.
Eggs
The eggs are what make the carbonara extra creamy in combination with the cheese. Use good-quality, farm-raised eggs if you can. These are just way better in flavor than store-bought eggs. Use 1 egg per 100 g of pasta or per serving. Some use 1 egg + 1 egg yolk per serving for a richer flavor.
Carbonara Cheese & Egg Sauce
The carbonara cheese & egg sauce is a combination of freshly fine grated parmigiano & egg added to the pasta in a pan while the pasta still has enough residual heat to thicken the eggs and melt the cheese. Use a silicone spatula to get every bit out when emptying into the pan.
Pasta Starch Sauce
The pasta starch sauce is created whenever pasta is added to the pan with salted pasta water to thicken it. It takes about 3 minutes of aggressively mixing the pasta with tongs in pasta water to create the starch sauce. This ensures no matter what sauce is added that it is creamy or a sauce that would otherwise split or be watery.
In the case here with Carbonara, we develop the pasta starch sauce while off heat before the cheese & eggs are even added. Only after 3 minutes of mixing and the pan cooling down some but still being warm is the Carbonara Cheese & Egg Sauce added to mix through beore serving.
Carbonara Sauce
The carbonara sauce itself is the combination of the carbonara cheese & egg sauce with the pasta starch sauce. It is supposed to be rich and creamy, adhering to the pasta. But not so thick that the pasta clumps. Pasta water is used to adjust for this.
If it is not thickening enough, return the pan to the heat briefly and keep mixing. Add extra pasta water if it’s too thick. Be careful here because if you heat it up too much, the sauce will break from overcooking the eggs.
Carbonara Ratios
It’s important to understand that the carbonara dish is based off of cacio e pepe, which has a ratio of 2:1. Two parts pasta and one part Parmigiano Reggiano by weight. With about 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of black pepper per 100 g of pasta.
With carbonara, the cheese is dropped by half. But with added meats, it brings the same level of saltiness. Simply add in half the weight in protein as the pasta and 1 egg per 100 g of pasta to make carbonara, which gives us a ratio and serving for one person, the following:
- 100 g of Pasta
- 1 Egg
- 25 g Finely Grated Cheese (Parmigiano or Pecorino)
- 50 g of Meat (Bacon, Guanciale, or Pancetta)
- 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp Crushed Black Pepper
How to make Bacon Carbonara
Bacon Carbonara comes together pretty quick all while boiling the pasta.
Start by bringing 16 cups of water with 1 Tbl of sea salt to a boil on the back. or side burner. If using Pecorino or Guanciale or Pancetta, reduce the salt to 1/2 Tbl. Weigh out 400 g to 454 g of pasta. Add the pasta when the water starts boiling. Cover to bring back to a boil. Mix and leave cook uncovered while mixing every so often until al dente, about 13 minutes.
Protein
Once the pasta is added or slightly beforehand, place a pan over medium heat, to crisp the bacon. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and combine with egg to mix well and set aside. Strain the bacon grease out and set it aside off heat if not ready for softening the peppercorns yet.
Softening Black Peppercorn
When about 5 minutes of pasta cook time remains, place the pan with bacon in it over medium heat and add black peppercorn to briefly cook and follow with 1 cup of pasta water or more to ensure all the black peppercorns are completely submerged.
Optionally you can strain the grease out and set aside the bacon to add back in later on. Then toss the crushed Black Peppercorn into the pan to toast briefly, followed with pasta water to simmer for 5 minutes to soften the black peppercorns.
Starchy Sauce
Shut the heat off for both the pasta and the pan with the black peppercorns. With tongs grab the pasta out of the pot to transfer to the pan. Once all pasta is transferred over agressively mix the pasta in pasta water to create the starch sauce. This will take 3 minutes with adding pasta water to adjust the consistency.
You are aiming for a creamy sauce all by itself even without the Cheese & Egg added. Not too thick where the pasta clumps and not too thin where it is not visibly creamy.
Cheese & Eggs
Add the Cheese & Egg mixture to the pan that has now been mixed for about 3 minutes with the heat off and cooled down some. Mix agressively again until thickened and serve right away.
The final sauce should be rich and creamy evident by what’s left behind in the pan. The pasta does not clump but instead flows freely and the sauce is thick where it adheres to the pasta. There is no coagulation of the eggs. Just a nice smooth sauce.
If it is not thickening enough, return the pan to the heat briefly and keep mixing. Add extra pasta water if it’s too thick. Be careful here because if you heat it up too much, the sauce will break from overcooking the eggs.
Ingredients
- 400 g Spaghetti - between 400 g and 454 g
- 200 g Bacon - Chopped – Can use Guanciale or Pancetta
- 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano - Can use Pecorino
- 4 Whole Eggs
- 2 tsp Crushed Black Peppercorn
Pasta Water
- 16 C Water
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
Instructions
- Pasta Water: Bring the pot of pasta water to a boil on the back burner. While it comes to a boil, Finley grates the cheese, weighing it out on a digital scale. Weigh out your pasta in a tall glass and set aside. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 13 minutes.
- Protein: Heat a large pan over medium heat to crisp the bacon. Drain out the excess grease and set aside until ready to soften the black peppercorn. The bacon can stay in the pan or be set aside to add the bacon back in later on at any stage. Meanwhile, combine Parmigiano & eggs in a bowl and mix well. Set aside until needed.
- Softened Black Peppercorn: When 5 minutes of the pasta's cook time remain, return the pan or skillet over medium heat. Add crushed black peppercorn and toast just until aromatic. Then add 1 cup of pasta water or more to ensure that all peppercorns are submerged. Keep it here until ready for the pasta. The water will soften the peppercorns and mostly evaporate.
- Starchy Sauce: Shut the heat off for the boiling pasta and grab the pasta out with tongs, carrying over some pasta water into the pan. Turn the heat off for the pan and mix very aggressively until you get a thickened sauce, about 3 minutes. Add pasta water as needed. It should be creamy, which will be thickened again by the cheese and eggs added. If the pasta is too clumpy, add more pasta water.
- Cheese & Eggs: Empty the cheese and egg sauce into the pan. Mix really well until the sauce has become thick and creamy. Serve right away, optionally with more grated cheese on top.If it is not thickening enough, return the pan to the heat briefly and keep mixing. Add extra pasta water if it's too thick. Be careful here because if you heat it up too much, the sauce will break from overcooking the eggs.