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Prep time
5 minutes
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Cook time
10 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Carbonara is a simple, classic dish that uses just a few basic ingredients to create a creamy, delicious sauce for pasta. It's my go-to recipe when I feel like there's no food in the house, because who can't come up with a box of pasta and some eggs? A traditional carbonara recipe calls for cheese, but I often leave it out and it’s still delicious. Conversely, you can add bacon, if you like. Because it’s so critical to reserve some of the cooking water to thicken the sauce, I make it a point to put my measuring cup right next to my pasta pot so I don’t forget to pour the cooking water out before draining the pasta. I’ve watched the water run down the drain too many times to not have learned my lesson.
Recipe adapted from The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook by Lisa Steele (HarperCollins, 2022).
—Lisa Steele
Ingredients
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2/3 cup
grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
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4
egg yolks
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1 pound
pasta, like tagliatelle, fettuccine or spaghetti
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1.5 cups
reserved pasta water
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cooked bacon, optional
Directions
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Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the cheese into the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.
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When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Just before the pasta is done, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water and set aside, then drain the pasta.
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Return the pasta to the pot. Stir a bit of the pasta water into the egg yolks to loosen them up a bit, then slowly stir the egg mixture into the pasta until well combined, adding a little more of the reserved pasta water at a time until the sauce is smooth and silky. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
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Add optional bacon. Serve with additional grated cheese, salt and pepper.
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