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Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara

Italian pasta with eggs, pancetta and parmesan

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This traditional pasta is bringing me back to July 2019. I was on my one-week trip in northern Italy - the first solo trip I have ever made. I had no specific time plan, I just knew which cities were on my list and Peschiera del Garda was one of them. It is a lovely historical town on the south side of Garda Lake, which gives it kind of a seaside vibe with all the yachts and sailboats around. I loved my early mornings swimming in the lake, when everything was still quiet. I loved the hot days, when I was soaking up as much sun as possible. And I also loved the warm evenings and all the buzz in the restaurants and bars. Listening to live music, drinking wine and eating spaghetti carbonara, that was one of my favourite evenings and that is where I am in my mind right now. See the picture at the end - the middle one.

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  • 250 g spaghetti

  • 50 g pancetta (guanciale would be even better)

  • 7 tablespoons grated parmesan (or pecorino cheese)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 3 whole eggs

  • 1 egg yolk

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • salt

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  1. Cook your spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the instructions on the packaging/till al dente.

  2. While your pasta is being cooked, prepare the other ingredients. 

  3. Cut the pancetta into smaller pieces/cubes - I usually can skip this one as I am using pancetta cubes. 

  4. Whisk the eggs together with the cheese and black pepper. I am using 3 whole eggs and 1 extra yolk, so I need to separate it from the egg white (that I usually use for something else later on).

  5. This one extra yolk adds creaminess to the dish, so be sure to use it as there is for sure no cream coming to the carbonara.

  6. Keep checking on your pasta and make sure not to over cook it. Once al dente, remove from the water and set a side.

  7. Put the olive oil into a large saucepan and fry pancetta on it for a few minutes. Then remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.

  8. Add spaghetti to the pan, that is still completely off the heat and make sure to coat all the pasta well with the pancetta/oil mixture.

  9. Now add eggs/cheese mixture to the pan and mix all well together. The secret is that the cheese starts to melt and your pasta will be covered in creamy sauce.

  10. Depending on how cold your pasta and pancetta already were, you may need to put the pan back on the heat for a while - in such a case do it very carefully, start with a very low heat and whis the pasta and sauce carefully but constantly. 

  11. In no case you want the heat to be too high as that would turn your creamy eggs sauce into scrambled eggs which is a no no. 

  12. It always takes me quite a while to find the right balance and texture, so that my carbonara sauce is not too watery, well cooked but also nowhere near the scrambled eggs. It takes a lot of patience for sure.

  13. Depending on the cheese and pancetta you used, you may need to add some more salt before serving. I recommend only doing this after trying the sauce, as the ingredients are already pretty salty.

  14. Serve spaghetti carbonara immediately after cooking, sprinkle with some freshly ground black pepper and grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

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