Easy Pasta Carbonara
I’m a pasta lover in all forms and this Easy Pasta Carbonara recipe checks all the boxes that come alongside great pasta: it’s flavorful, cheesy, and best of all simple. It’s a classic recipe that is light and fresh, and doesn’t get overcomplicated.
Easy Carbonara Sauce and Pasta still makes really beautiful carbonara sauce. Eggs, pancetta, and plenty of parm make this recipe so yummy! It’s simple to make but impressive enough to serve to guests.
What is Carbonara Pasta?
Carbonara pasta is thin pasta like spaghetti lightly tossed in eggs and cheese. It’s cooked together in a pan and seasoned with salt and pepper. Great carbonara also includes bacon or pancetta for flavor and color, making carbonara pasta the perfect dinner when you want delicious and filling pasta without all the fuss.
What pasta is used to make carbonara?
Usually, carbonara uses spaghetti. When you’re selecting pasta for your sauce, you can choose based on the density or additives in your sauce. For thick meat sauces or tomato-based sauces that are full of veggies, larger, hollow noodles like penne or twisted noodles like fusilli are able to soak up plenty of that thick sauce.
But thin, light sauces are best served with thinner, narrow sauces that aren’t hollow. That allows the sauce to coat the noodles adequately.
If you don’t have any spaghetti on hand, you can use fettuccini, vermicelli, or spaghettini.
Can I use whole eggs in my carbonara?
Yes! You can. Traditionally, carbonara recipes don’t use the whole egg, they only call for the yolks. But you can also make carbonara with whole egg. You need to add your eggs and cheese and keep moving your pasta in the pan, stirring the entire time, carefully allowing the eggs to become a sauce.
What’s the secret to perfect carbonara?
There are lots of tips and tricks, and I’ve listed a few below. There are a few secrets that can help you make great carbonara.
- Make sure you use fresh eggs.
- Whisk your eggs really well! You want your egg whites to be totally incorporated into the yolks.
- If you’re using a copper pot or another pot that retains a lot of heat, add your pasta and get it really, really hot. Then, remove the pan from the heat when you dump in your eggs and cheese.
Recommended
Penne Pasta with Sausage
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta
Butternut Squash Alfredo
Tips and Recipe Notes:
- If you want creamier pasta, add an extra egg yolk for every whole egg you use.
- For really authentic pasta, make your own! Use our ‘How to Make Homemade Pasta‘ recipe.
- It’s tempting to want to add milk or cream to your carbonara, but resist! Cream completely changes the flavor and texture and at the end of the day, you’ll no longer have carbonara sauce.
- If you need to thin out your sauce, use pasta water. Reserve a little pasta water in the fridge for reheating your leftovers, too.
- Use room-temperature eggs. Let them sit out on the cupboard (uncracked) for an hour before you begin cooking.
What Cheese is Good with Carbonara?
Classic carbonara uses Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or a mix of the two. If you wish to substitute, go ahead, but using a grated hard cheese is important in this recipe.
How to Store Carbonara
Have some leftovers? Just place them in an airtight container in the fridge. It will be good for 2-3 days. Reheat in a saute pan over medium heat, or use the microwave.
Can I Freeze Leftover Carbonara?
Yes… and no. You can absolutely freeze carbonara sauce with pancetta in it. But pasta does not freeze well. I suggest not freezing mixed pasta. Try to eat it up in the next couple of days. But if you want, you can make carbonara sauce ahead of time and freeze it to use it another day.
More Easy Pasta Recipes to Try
I’d eat pasta for breakfast if it was socially acceptable. If you’re like me and adore pasta, give some of these yummy recipes a try!
Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
Homemade Three Cheese Ravioli Recipe
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Instant Pot Taco Pasta
Instant Pot Chicken Parmigiana
Easy Pasta Carbonara
Easy Carbonara Sauce and Pasta makes really beautiful carbonara sauce. Eggs, pancetta, and plenty of parm make this recipe so yummy! It's simple to make but impressive enough to serve to guests.
Ingredients
- 16oz Spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons Sea salt
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces Pancetta , diced
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Frozen English peas, thawed
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a deep pan or a 6 quart pot. Over a medium head, add pancetta and cook until crisped.
- Remove pancetta and reserve oil to side.
- In a bowl whisk together the eggs and pecorino Romano cheese.
- Cook your spaghetti, according to package instructions. Once done, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain remaining water.
- Add the reserved oil back to your pot/pan and place over medium heat.
- Once the oil is heated, add drained pasta, and then slowly pour the egg mixture over it stirring and turning the pasta to coat it. If it becomes a little dry add the pasta water, a small amount at a time, to loosen the pasta up.
- Add the cooked pancetta, and English peas, and toss together until the peas are warmed through.
- Serve with a little extra pecorino Romano, and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Notes
1.You can use angel hair pasta or linguini. Your choice! Spaghetti is just a traditional type of pasta to use.
2.You can use grated parmesan cheese in place of pecorino Romano.
3.If you don’t have pancetta, you can use thick cut bacon that has been cut into 1/2” cube pieces. Once cooked, you’ll have extra bacon oil. You can save 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings to use for remaining recipe at step 2.
INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS
1. Break spaghetti in half and arrange in a criss-cross pattern. Add 4 cups water. Do not stir. Close the lid. Set valve to "sealing" position. Cook on High Manual Pressure for 7 minutes.
2. Once done, press Cancel Button. Quick Release all pressure. Remove one cup of water, and drain remaining water. Keep spaghetti set to the side.
3. Replace liner back to Instant Pot. Press Sauté button and Add olive oil to insert. Add pancetta and cook until crispy.
4. While pancetta is cooking, In a bowl whisk together the eggs and pecorino Romano cheese. To Instant Pot, add drained pasta, and then slowly pour the egg mixture over it stirring and turning the pasta to coat it. If it becomes a little dry add the pasta water, a small amount at a time, to loosen the pasta up.
5. Add English peas, and toss together until the peas are warmed through.
6. Serve with a little extra pecorino Romano, and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.