Pasta Carbonara is a classic Italian dish that is simple to make yet bursting with flavor. Originating from Rome, this iconic dish is characterized by its rich and creamy sauce made with eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, and pancetta or guanciale. The secret to a perfect Pasta Carbonara lies in the technique and the quality of the ingredients used. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to create an authentic Pasta Carbonara that will transport your taste buds to the heart of Italy. From selecting the right pasta to mastering the art of emulsifying the sauce, we will provide you with all the knowledge and tips needed to create a dish that will impress your friends and family.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
AUTHENTIC (AND EASY) PASTA CARBONARA
Make and share this Authentic (And Easy) Pasta Carbonara recipe from Food.com.
Provided by trumanchocolate
Categories High Protein
Time 25m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Put large pot on to boil for pasta and cook pasta as directed.
- Cut the bacon into 2" pieces and add to saute pan on medium.
- Grate cheese.
- Break eggs into large bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add grated cheese to eggs and mix until a paste.
- When pasta is "al dente", remove and drain.
- Immediately add pasta to egg/cheese mixture and use tongs to rapidly toss, coating the pasta. (Don't worry about the raw egg, the hot pasta will cook it).
- Add the bacon with about 1 teaspoon of drippings and continue to toss pasta until a creamy sauce evenly coats the pasta.
- Serve and garnish with a sprinkle of cheese, fresh ground salt and pepper.
- Watch your friends and family scrap the bowl!
- Nice served with a salad and a crisp white wine!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 985.3, Fat 47.5, SaturatedFat 19.4, Cholesterol 315.1, Sodium 1371.1, Carbohydrate 87.5, Fiber 3.6, Sugar 3.7, Protein 48.5
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA: THE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE
This dish was created in the Lazio region (the area around Rome) in the middle of the 20th century, after World War Two. We don't use cream, milk, garlic, onions or other strange ingredients; we use only guanciale, eggs, pecorino cheese, and lots of black pepper (carbonaro is the Italian for coal miner). This isn't the Italian-American version, it's the real, creamy carbonara and it comes right from Italy, where I live. Buon appetito.
Provided by ivan zeta
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 30m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add guanciale (see Cook's Note). Cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, half of the Pecorino Romano cheese, and some black pepper in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour egg mixture over pasta, stirring quickly, until creamy and slightly cooled. Stir in guanciale. Top with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and more black pepper.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 763.7 calories, Carbohydrate 85.1 g, Cholesterol 199.8 mg, Fat 28.4 g, Fiber 3.6 g, Protein 39 g, SaturatedFat 10.1 g, Sodium 1181.6 mg, Sugar 3.4 g
AUTHENTIC PASTA CARBONARA
I learned on my culinary internship in Tuscany that real Italian cuisine is simpler than you think! This carbonara is quick, simple and delicious, just the way they like it in Italy. -Lauren Brien-Wooster, South Lake Tahoe, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 35m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta, reserving pasta water; keep pasta warm. In same pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add peas; cook until just heated through., Add pasta to pot; toss to combine. Stir in remaining ingredients, adding enough reserved pasta water for sauce to reach desired consistency. If desired, serve with additional cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 353 calories, Fat 12g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 65mg cholesterol, Sodium 326mg sodium, Carbohydrate 46g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 14g protein.
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA
For a quick dinner, whip up Tyler Florence's authentic Spaghetti alla Carbonara recipe, a rich tangle of pasta, pancetta and egg, from Food Network.
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories main-dish
Time 25m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
- Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.
ULTIMATE SPAGHETTI CARBONARA RECIPE
Discover how to make superb spaghetti carbonara. This cheesy pasta dish is an Italian favourite and with the right technique, you can make it perfect every time
Provided by Angela Nilsen
Categories Dinner, Main course
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Put a large saucepan of water on to boil.
- Finely chop the 100g pancetta, having first removed any rind. Finely grate 50g pecorino cheese and 50g parmesan and mix them together.
- Beat the 3 large eggs in a medium bowl and season with a little freshly grated black pepper. Set everything aside.
- Add 1 tsp salt to the boiling water, add 350g spaghetti and when the water comes back to the boil, cook at a constant simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until al dente (just cooked).
- Squash 2 peeled plump garlic cloves with the blade of a knife, just to bruise it.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, fry the pancetta with the garlic. Drop 50g unsalted butter into a large frying pan or wok and, as soon as the butter has melted, tip in the pancetta and garlic.
- Leave to cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the pancetta is golden and crisp. The garlic has now imparted its flavour, so take it out with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Keep the heat under the pancetta on low. When the pasta is ready, lift it from the water with a pasta fork or tongs and put it in the frying pan with the pancetta. Don't worry if a little water drops in the pan as well (you want this to happen) and don't throw the pasta water away yet.
- Mix most of the cheese in with the eggs, keeping a small handful back for sprinkling over later.
- Take the pan of spaghetti and pancetta off the heat. Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese. Using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn't scramble, and everything is coated.
- Add extra pasta cooking water to keep it saucy (several tablespoons should do it). You don't want it wet, just moist. Season with a little salt, if needed.
- Use a long-pronged fork to twist the pasta on to the serving plate or bowl. Serve immediately with a little sprinkling of the remaining cheese and a grating of black pepper. If the dish does get a little dry before serving, splash in some more hot pasta water and the glossy sauciness will be revived.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 655 calories, Fat 31 grams fat, SaturatedFat 16 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 66 grams carbohydrates, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 32 grams protein, Sodium 2.02 milligram of sodium
SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
This dish is a deli egg-bacon-and-cheese-on-a-roll that has been pasta-fied, fancified, fetishized and turned into an Italian tradition that, like many inviolate Italian traditions, is actually far less old than the Mayflower. Because America may have contributed to its creation, carbonara is Exhibit A in the back-and-forth between Italy and the United States when it comes to food. Remember: the main goal is creaminess.
Provided by Ian Fisher
Categories dinner, easy, quick, pastas, main course
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place a large pot of lightly salted water (no more than 1 tablespoon salt) over high heat, and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with hot water for serving, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and pecorino and Parmesan. Season with a pinch of salt and generous black pepper.
- Set the water to boil. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork, and sauté until the fat just renders, on the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat guanciale in skillet, if needed. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir for a minute or so.
- Empty serving bowl of hot water. Dry it and add hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture, adding some reserved pasta water if needed for creaminess. Serve immediately, dressing it with a bit of additional grated pecorino and pepper.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 513, UnsaturatedFat 11 grams, Carbohydrate 64 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 339 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients: Fresh eggs, pancetta or guanciale, and Pecorino Romano cheese are essential for a truly authentic pasta carbonara.
- Cook the pasta al dente: This means that the pasta should still have a slight bite to it. The rule of thumb for cooking pasta is 1 minute less than the package instructions.
- Use the right pan: A large skillet or sauté pan is ideal for cooking pasta carbonara. This will allow you to easily toss the pasta with the sauce and prevent it from sticking.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: When cooking the pancetta or guanciale, make sure not to overcrowd the pan. Otherwise, it will not brown properly and will release too much fat.
- Use a wooden spoon: A wooden spoon is best for stirring carbonara because it will not scratch the pan and will help to prevent the sauce from sticking.
- Add the cheese and egg mixture slowly: When adding the cheese and egg mixture to the pasta, do it slowly and while stirring constantly. This will help to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Season to taste: Season the pasta carbonara with salt and pepper to taste. You may also want to add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat.
- Serve immediately: Pasta carbonara is best served immediately, while the pasta is still hot and the sauce is creamy.
Conclusion:
Pasta carbonara is a classic Italian dish that is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser. By following these tips, you can make a delicious and authentic pasta carbonara that will impress your friends and family.
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