Spaghetti Carbonara is a quick, luxuriously creamy pasta made by tossing hot spaghetti with a raw egg mixture and crispy bacon, relying on residual heat to create a silky sauce without cream. This 20-minute pantry meal delivers restaurant-quality results with just six core ingredients.
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Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and season with salt**. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat.
While waiting for the water to boil, cut the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet, then turn the heat down to low. Mince two cloves of garlic, add them to the warm skillet, and sauté for about one minute or until fragrant and softened, then turn off the heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and a generous dose of freshly cracked pepper. It's really important that these ingredients are well-mixed to ensure the creamy sauce comes together properly.
The water should be boiling at this point, so add the pasta, stir well, and continue to boil the pasta until al dente. Reserve one cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet that was used to cook the bacon. Stir the warm water in the skillet and dissolve the browned bits from the surface of the skillet. Add the steaming hot drained pasta to the skillet and toss in the bacon liquid in the skillet.
Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the hot pasta and immediately begin to stir or toss the pasta. The residual heat from the pasta cooks the eggs as you toss everything together.*** Continue to stir the hot pasta in the egg mixture until a creamy sauce forms.
Add the remaining Parmesan, a little more freshly cracked pepper, and the reserved bacon bits, and toss again. If the pasta becomes too thick, dry, or sticky add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
Finally, taste the pasta and adjust the salt, Parmesan, or pepper to taste. Top with a pinch or two of roughly chopped parsley leaves.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce; do not microwave, as it can overcook the eggs.
Yes—this recipe uses no cream. The creamy sauce comes from whisking raw eggs with Parmesan and tossing them with hot pasta; the residual heat cooks the eggs and creates the sauce.
The eggs scrambled instead of emulsifying. Prevent this by whisking eggs and Parmesan thoroughly before tossing, ensuring the skillet and pasta are hot but not smoking, and stirring constantly as you combine everything.
Yes. Any pasta shape works, but thinner, longer shapes like spaghetti or linguine hold the sauce best. Avoid very small shapes like ditalini.
This recipe relies on eggs and Parmesan for its signature creamy texture and flavor; there is no effective dairy-free substitute that preserves the dish's character.
Start with ¼ cup as the recipe states. If the finished dish is too thick or sticky, add a splash (1–2 tablespoons) more reserved pasta water and toss again.
