Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is classic Italian comfort food. It mixes pasta noodles with a creamy sauce made from eggs and parmesan cheese. All combined with pancetta and peas for a decadent but simple pasta recipe.

4.67 from 9 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 15 minute dinner, 15 minute pasta, bacon, carbonara, creamy pasta, pasta, weeknight pasta

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 869kcal

Author: Ashley Pelaez Walker

Ingredients

1 lb Spaghetti
½ tablespoon Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic smashed
6 oz Pancetta or bacon, diced
4 Eggs extra large
1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated, plus more for serving
Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Peas frozen
⅓ cup Parsley roughly chopped, for serving

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil & cook pasta according to package. Make sure to heavily salt the pasta water (this won't make the pasta salty, but will help to flavor it).
While the water comes to a boil, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the Parmesan cheese. Season with a pinch of salt & some fresh black pepper. Whisk to combine, ensuring the eggs & cheese have completely mixed.
While the pasta boils, heat a large saute pan over medium low heat and add the olive oil, pancetta and smashed garlic.
Cook the Pancetta over a low heat until the fat renders out & it begins to crisp.
Once the pasta is cooked, carefully add it to the pan with the pancetta & garlic (remove the pasta from the pan & put it directly into the pan, reserving the pasta water).
Toss the pasta in the pancetta, making sure to coat the noodles in the rendered pancetta fat that's in the bottom of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat & gently add the egg & cheese mixture. Stir continuously to coat the noodles in the egg & cheese mixture, ensuring the eggs do not scramble.
After about 2-3 minutes of continuous stirring the sauce should thicken & coat the noodles. Add the peas and stir to combine.
Tip: to thicken the sauce, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. The water will initially thin out the sauce, but it will thicken back up as the starchy water is absorbed into the sauce.
Serve with extra Parmesan cheese & chopped parsley for garnish.

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