Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Cuisine of Italy Spaghetti alla carbonara (literally "charcoal burners' spaghetti" in Italian) is an Italian pasta dish made with eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale and black pepper. It was created in the middle of the 20th century. Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure but there are many legends. As 'carbonara' literally means 'coal miner's w
Before you start
A quick setup makes the method easier to follow and keeps important steps from being missed.
Preparation checklist
- Read all 8 method steps from beginning to end.
- Measure and arrange all 8 listed ingredients.
- Set aside about 60 minutes, based on the time recorded by the source.
Recipe notes & preparation tips
Ideally this dish is served with a red wine (Merlot, Chianti, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo), allowed to decant for several hours, and served at 65°F (18°C).
Adapted from the source recipe's notes.Method
- 01
Dice the guanciale or pancetta into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces.
- 02
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add salt to taste when it begins to simmer.
- 03
Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it, reserving 1 cup of water.
- 04
While spaghetti is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook for about 10 minutes over a low flame until the pancetta has rendered most of its fat but is still chewy and barely browned.
- 05
In a bowl, slowly whisk about ½ cup of the pasta water into the egg yolks. Add the grated cheese and mix thoroughly with a fork.
- 06
Strain the spaghetti and transfer it immediately to the skillet with the pancetta. Toss it and turn off the heat.
- 07
Add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta while stirring in the remaining pasta water to help thin the sauce and create an emulsion.
- 08
Add the pepper and toss all the ingredients to coat the pasta.
Ready to serve
Serve the dish as directed and enjoy it while it is at its best.
Bon appétit — enjoy your meal!Source & licence
This recipe was adapted and reformatted from Wikibooks Cookbook . Text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Image: CC BY-SA 3.0, credited to Tamorlan; view original image record .
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