Carbonara is such a simple and traditional pasta dish. I love that it has just a few ingredients but still lands on your table as a big bowl of flavorful comfort. This pasta Carbonara recipe deviates from the traditional recipe a little, but still has that same amazing comfort and quick cooking time. In this recipe we are swapping the guanciale for bacon. It is easier to find, less expensive, and gives you a very similar flavor. We are also tossing in fresh garlic. I love what it adds to this dish.
Guanciale vs. Bacon
Traditionally, carbonara is made with a cured pork called Guanciale. It is perfect for thickening a pasta sauce because of the amount of fat on it that is rendered during heating.
Spaghetti: The base of the dish, spaghetti provides a satisfying texture and serves as the vehicle for the rich, creamy sauce. You can also use other types of pasta such as fettuccine, bucatini, or rigatoni. Thick Cut Bacon: Adds a salty, savory depth and a bit of crispiness to the dish. Read more below on using bacon in carbonara Garlic: While not a traditional ingredient in carbonara, I absolutely love what it brings to the recipe. It is sautéed with the bacon to add an additional layer of flavor. Eggs: Create the creamy, silky sauce that coats the pasta. A combination of whole eggs and egg yolks is used to enhance the creaminess. The heat from the pasta gently cooks the eggs, giving the dish its signature texture. Parmesan Cheese: Adds flavor and helps to thicken the sauce. Salt and Pepper: Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
While you can absolutely use Guanciale in this recipe, I am calling for bacon for two reasons. The first reason is that it is easier to find. If you live near a big city, finding Guanciale might be easy, but those who live in rural areas will be able to easily find bacon and use it in this delicious recipe. Second, bacon is cheaper than Guanciale, and I’d like to keep this dish on the more affordable end.
Cooking Bacon
While I love making bacon in the air fryer, in this recipe we need the rendered fat from the cooked bacon to make the Carbonara sauce. Once it has just started to crisp, add the garlic, being sure that you don’t drain the bacon grease.
Use plenty of water. Use a large pot filled with plenty of water to give the noodles enough room to cook evenly. A pound of pasta needs about four to six quarts of water. Add salt. Add a generous amount of salt (one to two teaspoons of kosher salt) to the boiling water before adding the spaghetti. The water should taste like the sea. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. Don’t add the pasta to the water too soon. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding the spaghetti. Adding pasta to water that isn’t fully boiling can result in uneven cooking and gummy noodles. Set a timer. Follow the package instructions for cooking time, but start checking for doneness a minute or two early. The spaghetti should be al dente—firm to the bite. Set a timer as soon as you add the noodles to the boiling water. Reserve pasta water. Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of the starchy hot pasta water. This can be added to the sauce later to help achieve the perfect consistency.
It’s also important to remove the skillet from the heat before adding in the egg mixture. Keeping it over the heat runs the risk of scrambling the eggs, a texture that wouldn’t be great in this recipe. Store any leftover carbonara in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the portion you plan to eat in the microwave or a small skillet until heated through. That being said, a block of Parmesan cheese can be expensive. If that holds you back from making this dish, please go with the cheaper version so you can still have this delicious pasta recipe. If you make this recipe for Carbonara pasta or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
My Chicken Wraps are so fast and delicious – plus I have several flavor options. Baked Chicken Fajitas are a great option because the hands on time is so short. This Creamy Cajun Shrimp recipe is a huge win in my house!
