Easy Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

This is one of those meals that is fancy enough for entertaining on the weekend, but easy enough for a simple, delicious weeknight dinner. Amy Dong

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Why This Recipe Stands Out

Spaghetti Carbonara is quite possibly one of our favorite pasta dishes to order at an Italian restaurant. The combination of bacon, cheese, and freshly ground pepper on pasta is simply divine. It’s one of those dishes that tastes like it takes much longer to make than it actually does.

• It’s quick and easy to make. From beginning to end, this recipe takes just 30-minutes to throw together.
• It’s so flavorful. This recipe uses white wine, bacon, cheese, and garlic. Just one of these ingredients packs a punch of flavor, but all of them together make a dish that’s truly spectacular.
• It’s restaurant-quality. And when we say that, we mean your classy, upscale Italian restaurant that you reserve for date nights.
• This Spaghetti Carbonara is versatile. There are so many ways to make this dish your own based on your preferences and what you have on hand.

What Is Spaghetti Carbonara?

Spaghetti Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta dish. Carbonara, specifically, is a sauce traditionally made with beaten eggs, crispy guanciale (pork jowl), Romano cheese, and freshly-ground black pepper. However, many people tweak this sauce by substituting bacon for the guanciale or Parmesan cheese for the Romano.

Carbonara sauce can really be served with any kind of pasta, but it’s commonly served with longer varieties like Spaghetti. Pasta Carbonara has become common all around the world today, thanks to its vibrant flavors.

Key Ingredients

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In this recipe, we start with the simple staple ingredients of Carbonara and add a few additions to give this dish an extra punch of flavor.

• Olive Oil—We like using extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe, because it’s the least processed form of olive oil leaving it with more antioxidants and vitamins and a richer flavor.
• Bacon—Thick-cut bacon gives this dish that irresistibly smoky flavor further proving bacon’s reputation for making everything better.
• White Wine—Dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, offers the acidity and flavor that blends wonderfully with the bacon, cheese, and garlic.
• Eggs—Eggs give this dish a rich, creamy texture and golden color. Although the eggs aren’t fully cooked, they are tempered when they’re mixed with the pasta making them totally safe to eat.
• Parmesan and Romano Cheese—We use both Parmesan and Romano cheese in this recipe to get the best of both worlds. The freshly grated cheese melts on the pasta bringing that cheesy, briny flavor to this dish.
• Garlic—We highly recommend fresh garlic for this recipe for that bold, garlicky flavor that goes well in any pasta dish.

Substitutions and Variations

• Pasta: We use Spaghetti for this recipe, but feel free to switch the pasta up! We think Linguine, Fettuccini, or Angel Hair (Capellini) pasta would all go wonderfully with this recipe too.
• Meat: Although we use bacon in this recipe, we also think the classic guanciale or pancetta are great if you can get your hands on them. Also, feel free to make good use of leftover meat with this dish. Tender, Juicy Chicken Breast would be a wonderful alternative.
• Cream Sauce: If you don’t want to use wine, you can use unsalted bone broth. If you’re looking for a similar pasta recipe without the wine try making this 30-minute Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil and just add the bacon from this recipe to it!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Add bacon to large pan with heated olive oil and cook until crisp. Then add the wine and simmer until reduced. Season with salt and pepper.

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Add spaghetti to pot of boiling water and cook to al dente consistency.

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Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

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Add pasta and whisked egg, cheese, and garlic mixture to a warm bowl heated in the oven at 200 degrees F.

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Add bacon mixture and toss all ingredients together. Then add parsley and toss until combined. Use pasta water to adjust consistency if needed.

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Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve garnished with extra parmesan.

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How To Prep Ahead

Because this recipe comes together so quickly, there isn’t much to prepare in advance. We do, however, recommend getting all of your ingredients measured and chopped before starting, since the actual cooking process goes really quick.

That being said, this Spaghetti Carbonara is wonderful the next day. So, feel free to make extra and keep it in the fridge to have for a easy meal prep dinners.

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What To Serve with Spaghetti Carbonara

• Salads: For a fresh, vibrant side to serve alongside this dish, we love this irresistible Strawberry Avocado Caprese Salad or this simple, traditional Caprese salad.
• Veggies: If you’re looking for some cooked veggies to go with this dish, try this simple Recipe for the Best Roasted Veggies. We also think these Garlic and Butter Mushrooms or this Easy Grilled Zucchini would pair perfectly with Carbonara.
• Protein: Try adding cooked, shredded chicken or cooked shrimp for extra protein.
• Desserts: If you’re making this Spaghetti Carbonara for a special occasion, we highly recommend this Perfect Tiramisu Recipe. Another truly show-stopping dessert that we love is this creamy, rich Crème Brûlée.

Easy Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Prep Time: 18 minutes mins Cook Time: 12 minutes mins Total Time: 30 minutes mins Serves 6

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 slices bacon, thick-cut, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup dry white wine*
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound spaghetti, dry
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley for garnish

Set a large oven-safe bowl in the oven and set oven to 200 degrees F, to keep bowl warm. Bring a well-salted large pot of water to boil.

While water is heating up, heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp. Add wine and simmer until slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. Toss in 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and stir. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheeses, and garlic and set aside.

As soon as water in large pot boils, add pasta and cook just until al dente, according to package instructions; don’t over cook. Reserve 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water and drain the rest (do not rinse pasta, just drain it.)

Remove hot bowl from the oven. Add the drained pasta and egg mixture into it, stirring well. Add bacon mixture and toss well to coat. Add parsley and toss. Adjust consistency with reserved hot pasta water if needed. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Notes

• Use a dry, crisp white wine such as pinot grigio.
• Be sure to use kosher salt, as it is much less salty by volume than table salt.
• Grate your own block of good quality parmesan cheese, for best results. We do not recommend using pre-grated, powdery parmesan cheese.
• Serve creamy Spaghetti Carbonara with Strawberry Avocado Caprese Salad and Tiramisu for a full Italian meal.
• Make sure eggs are room temperature and whisk them very well to ensure a smooth sauce.
• Don’t rinse pasta. We want to keep the extra starch on it to help thicken the sauce.
• Variations: you can use a different pasta, such as linguine, instead of spaghetti. Try pancetta instead of bacon. For additional protein, add shredded chicken or shrimp. If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute with unsalted bone broth.

Nutrition (per serving)