Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian pasta dish that is simple to make yet incredibly delicious. Originating from Rome, this dish has gained popularity worldwide for its rich and creamy sauce made from eggs, Parmesan cheese, and guanciale (or pancetta). The combination of these ingredients creates a smooth and flavorful sauce that perfectly coats the spaghetti noodles. In this article, we will explore the traditional Spaghetti Carbonara recipe along with several variations that add unique twists to the classic dish. From a vegetarian version using mushrooms instead of guanciale to a seafood-inspired Carbonara with shrimp and scallops, these recipes offer something for every palate. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, you'll find the perfect Spaghetti Carbonara recipe to tantalize your taste buds and transport you to the heart of Italy.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
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.
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
THE BEST CARBONARA
Now this is our idea of comfort food. Creamy and rich, it's the quintessential dish for a chilly evening. We like to splurge every once in a while and add a knob of butter to the cheesy egg sauce just to round it out. We've left that option up to you, however. Either way, we can't think of a more classic or satisfying pasta dish.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 20m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Whisk together the eggs, yolks, Parmesan, Pecorino, pepper and butter if using in a large bowl until well combined.
- Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the spaghetti and half the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet and toss to combine.
- Add the egg mixture and toss to coat. Cook, tossing continuously to avoid scrambling the eggs, until the sauce is creamy, thinning it with the remaining pasta water if it becomes too thick (it should be saucy but not watery), about 1 minute.
- Divide the pasta among plates and sprinkle with more grated Parmesan.
PASTA CARBONARA
Pasta carbonara is an indulgent yet surprisingly simple recipe. Made with pancetta (or bacon) and plenty of Parmesan, this recipe takes only 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish!
Provided by Elise Bauer
Categories Quick and Easy Restaurant Favorite Bacon Carbonara Egg Italian Pancetta Parmesan Pasta Spaghetti
Time 30m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat the pasta water: Put a large pot of salted water on to boil (1 tablespoon salt for every 2 quarts of water.)
- Beat the eggs and half of the cheese: In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in about half of the cheese.
- Cook the pasta: Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the dry pasta, and cook, uncovered, at a rolling boil.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 447 kcal, Carbohydrate 25 g, Cholesterol 166 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 16 g, SaturatedFat 11 g, Sodium 413 mg, Sugar 1 g, Fat 31 g, ServingSize Serves 4-6, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
SPAGHETTI CARBONARA II
A super rich, classic 'bacon and egg' spaghetti dish. Great to serve for company. This recipe also makes an unusual brunch offering.
Provided by SABRINATEE
Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Spaghetti Recipes
Time 40m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
- Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
- Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 444.1 calories, Carbohydrate 44.7 g, Cholesterol 117.5 mg, Fat 21.1 g, Fiber 2.1 g, Protein 16.4 g, SaturatedFat 6.7 g, Sodium 368.8 mg, Sugar 2.4 g
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
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. This is especially important for the cheese and eggs, as they will make up the majority of the flavor of the dish.
- Cook the spaghetti al dente. This means that it should be cooked through but still have a slight bite to it.
- Don't overcook the eggs. You want them to be creamy and slightly runny, not scrambled.
- Add the cheese and eggs to the pasta while it is still hot. This will help the cheese to melt and the eggs to cook evenly.
- Season the dish to taste. You may want to add more salt, pepper, or Parmesan cheese, depending on your preferences.
- Serve immediately. Spaghetti carbonara is best enjoyed fresh out of the pan.
Conclusion:
Spaghetti carbonara is a delicious and easy-to-make pasta dish that is perfect for a quick and easy meal. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a dish that is sure to please everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy meal, give spaghetti carbonara a try. You won't be disappointed!
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