Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a classic Roman dish that is comprised of guanciale (pigs cheek), egg, peppercorn, Pecorino Romano cheese and Parmiggiano Reggiano. The result is a super creamy and delicous pasta with incredible flavor!
Spaghetti alla Carbonora
A classic Roman dish that is comprised of guanciale (cured pigscheeck), Pecorino Romano cheese, Parmiggiano Reggiano, and eggs.
Ingredients
- 4 oz Guanciale or Pancetta
- 115 grams Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 80 grams Parmiggiano Reggiano Cheese
- Peppercorn as needed
- 540 grams Spaghetti
- 4 egg yolks
Instructions
Ingredients Prep:
- Cut the Guanciale or Pancetta into thin 1 inch long strips.
- Grate the Pecorino Romano and Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese in a blender until it reaches a powdery consistency.
- Crack open the eggs and seperate the yolks from the whites. For this recipe, we will only be using the yolks.
Preparation:
- Heat up a frying pan on medium heat and place the strips of guanciale or pancetta into the pan to fry. Let it fry until all the grease has left the guanciale or pancetta and has reached a crunchy texture.
- Remove the guanciale or pancetta from the pan and put it off to the side, leaving the grease in the pan. Chop the guanciale or pancetta into fine pieces so we can incorporate them later on.
Preparing the Carbonara pasta:
- In a bowl, mix the Pecorino, Parmiggiano, and egg yolks together until a thick paste is formed.
Preparing the Pasta:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add the spaghetti to the pot and cook them for about 3 minutes short of the recommended cooking time on the package. Add a pinch of salt midway through the cooking to the water.
- Add 4 ladle scoops of the water from the pasta pot to the pan with the grease and begin to boil.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan and cook the pasta in the pan for an additional 2-3 minutes until the pasta and water amalgamate and form a creamy texture.
- Add the guanciale or pancetta and the egg and cheese mix.
- Stir in the egg yolk and cheese mix until it has completely dissolved. Grate peppercorn on the dish as needed.
- Voila! When the dish has reached the creamy consistency you like, it is ready to be plated. It is recommended that pasta be eaten immediately to full savor the ingredients and texture. Buon Appetito!
Notes
For this recipe, I used pancetta due to guanciale being extremely hard to find. For an authentic taste, guanciale is always recommended.
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