Pasta Carbonara Recipe (2024)

A Southern Soul › Recipes › Main Dish

by Donya Mullins October 11, 2012 4 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

Pasta Carbonara is a classic recipe that’s simple to make with just a few ingredients. Cooked spaghetti tossed in a rich, silky sauce made with eggs and Parmesan cheese then sprinkled with smokey bacon makes a delicious dish perfect for a family meal or entertaining!

Pasta Carbonara is a pasta lover’s dream. Well, at least that’s my opinion. There are so many reasons to love this simple, classic dish.

Pasta Carbonara Is:

Easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
Made with just 6 ingredients.
A dish that can be served as a main dish or a side.
Loaded with cheese and then…there’s BACON!
The perfect recipe to make when you don’t know what to cook!

Ingredients Needed To Make Pasta Carbonara

Spaghetti
Eggs
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Bacon
Fresh Cracked Pepper and Salt

This recipe is simple to make, but needs your full attention when you making it.

Tips For Making This Recipe

Use good quality ingredients. The classic recipe for Pasta Carbonara calls for guanciali (jowl bacon) but I use a good brand of bacon instead since it’s easier to come by.
Grate the Parmesan cheese yourself. The flavor and texture is so much better, and you will definitely know the difference if you try to “cheat” on this tip.
Since this dish comes together so quickly, and timing is crucial, be sure to have all of your ingredients and cooking tools ready to go from the start.

What Kind Of Pasta Is Used In Pasta Carbonara?

Spaghetti is the most common type of pasta used for this recipe. You can also use linguine, fettuccine or bucatini.

PRO TIP: Cook the pasta al dente, which is done but still firm.

How To Use Eggs In Carbonara

Eggs are an extremely important part of Pasta Carbonara. And here’s the thing…don’t be afraid! Here’s the way to make sure you make a silky, rich sauce with raw eggs instead of scrambling them:

Use room temperature eggs.
Whisk the eggs and Parmesan together really, really well. I mean, go to it! You don’t want to see any of the egg whites in the mixture.
Keep the pasta moving as you add it to the egg mixture.

What To Serve With Pasta Carbonara

The best way to showcase this amazing dish is with just a few simple sides. Here are my favorites:

Tomato Cucumber Salad
Easy Roasted Broccoli
Skillet Green Beans
Marinated Tomatoes
Garlic Knots

More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!

Out Of This World Baked Spaghetti
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Pizza Pasta Bake
Best Caprese Pasta Salad
Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
Taco Spaghetti

5 from 1 vote

Pasta Carbonara

Author: Donya Mullins

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 719kcal

Print Pin Rate Add to Shopping List

Pasta Carbonara is a classic recipe that's simple to make with just a few ingredients. Cooked spaghetti tossed in a rich, silky sauce made with eggs and Parmesan cheese then sprinkled with smokey bacon makes a delicious dish perfect for a family meal or entertaining!

Ingredients

▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 6 slices bacon – cut into 1″ pieces
▢ 2 eggs
▢ 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
▢ 1 lb spaghetti or other long pasta
▢ Pepper

Instructions

▢
Heat a skillet on stove. Add olive oil and bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp.
▢
While bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water boils, add salt and pasta. Cook pasta until tender but firm.
See Also
60 St. Patrick's Day Party Recipes Worthy of a Jig
▢
Meanwhile, warm a large bowl in oven.
▢
Beat the eggs and the Parmesan together in the warmed bowl. When the pasta is done, reserve one cup of the pasta water then, drain and immediately toss in the egg and cheese mixture. Add pasta water if needed to make more sauce. Add the bacon from the pan.
▢
Add fresh cracked pepper and salt if needed.
▢
Sprinkle with more grated cheese and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Did you make my Pasta Carbonara?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!

Tag on Insta Leave a Rating

https://www.pinterest.com/asouthernsoul1/a-southern-soul-recipes/

What I’m Making for Easter

FREE EMAIL Bonus

Go ahead, steal my menu. This year’s feast is going to be amazing!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Rate & Comment

patsy
July 20, 2021 at 8:16 pm
Raw eggs, is that a good idea?
Reply
- Donya
  July 21, 2021 at 9:26 am
  Hey there Patsy!
  That’s a really good question! The raw eggs actually start to cook from being in the warm bowl, that also ensures they don’t curdle, then they continue to cook from the heat from the pasta and the pasta water. Adding the hot pasta and pasta water to your egg/parmesan mixture will cook the eggs and melt the cheese to create this delicious, silky, cheesy sauce. Let me know what you think of this recipe if you try it, I hope you enjoy!
  ~Donya
  Reply
A Southern Soul
October 11, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Go for it Paula!! It really is so good and super easy.
Reply
Paula Salmon
October 11, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Ok, this is MINE, I'm making it 😉
Reply