Spaghetti Carbonara
Silky Roman pasta with egg, cheese, black pepper and savory guanciale-style richness.
Ingredients
- 11 oz spaghetti
- 5 oz guanciale, cut into thick batons
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 3 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 320 g spaghetti
- 150 g guanciale, cut into thick batons
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 80 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 2 g freshly ground black pepper
- 10 g fine sea salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt, then cook the spaghetti until al dente, following the packet timing. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water before draining.
- Place the guanciale in a cold pan. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat renders and the pieces turn golden at the edges without going hard.
- Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, Pecorino Romano and black pepper in a large warm bowl until thick and paste-like. Loosen with 2 tbsp warm pasta water so the mixture blends more easily with the pasta.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale. Toss for 20 to 30 seconds so the strands pick up the rendered fat.
- Transfer the hot pasta and guanciale to the bowl with the egg mixture. Stir fast for 45 to 60 seconds until the sauce turns glossy and lightly creamy. Add more pasta water a spoonful at a time if it looks tight or sticky.
- Check the texture. The sauce should coat the spaghetti, not pool in the bowl and not scramble on the strands. Keep the bowl off direct heat the whole time.
- Serve immediately with a little extra Pecorino Romano and more black pepper if needed.
Cultural Context
Carbonara is one of Rome’s defining pasta dishes, built from pasta, guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano and black pepper. The sauce is made off heat, using pasta water and rendered pork fat to create the creamy texture without cream.
Fun Fact
The name “carbonara” likely comes from carbone, the Italian word for coal. One explanation links the dish to charcoal workers, while another points to the black pepper scattered across the pasta.
Cook’s Tip
Keep the bowl off direct heat when mixing the eggs and pasta. Fast stirring, hot pasta and a little reserved pasta water create the sauce. Direct heat creates scrambled eggs. Delicious elsewhere. Not here.
Trivia
Carbonara became widely known outside Italy after the mid-20th century, and food historians still debate whether it grew from Roman tradition, postwar ingredient shifts or both.
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