Description
An authentic Italian pasta carbonara made the traditional way with eggs, Pecorino Romano, crispy guanciale-style beef bacon, and black pepper — no cream, no alcohol, just pure Roman flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 6 oz beef bacon or guanciale-style beef, diced
- 3 large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti in heavily salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- In a skillet, cook beef bacon until crispy. Turn off heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole egg, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper.
- Add hot pasta to skillet with bacon and toss.
- Remove skillet from heat completely.
- Quickly stir in egg mixture, tossing constantly.
- Add reserved pasta water little by little until sauce becomes silky and glossy.
- Serve immediately with extra Pecorino and black pepper.
Notes
True carbonara contains no cream. Heat control is key — always mix eggs off the heat to avoid scrambling.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 23g
- Cholesterol: 185mg
Keywords: authentic italian carbonara, pasta carbonara recipe, roman carbonara, traditional carbonara