Authentic Bucatini alla Carbonara (Step-by-Step)

A quick and delicious Italian pasta dinner. A rich combination of pasta, pancetta, eggs and cheese. So easy to make any night of the week.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: carbonara, pasta

Servings: servings

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

Ingredients

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces thickly sliced bacon or pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 bunch of Italian parsley chopped
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 pound spaghetti
5 large egg yolks well beaten
4 tablespoons milk
¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
½ cup of boiling pasta water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it ripples.
Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until crisp. Add the chopped parsley and combine. Set the pan aside. Beat the eggs with the milk and set aside.
Boil water in a a large pot and add the salt. When the water comes to a
boil, add the bucatini. Stir frequently and cook until it is al dente.
Drain, reserving the ½ cup of pasta water.
Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with the pancetta, then toss in
the pasta. Shake the pan over the heat a few times to combine the pasta
with the pancetta. Then add the add the Parmigiano and the eggs yolks.
Add pepper to taste and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Sprinkle generously with pepper and serve at once. If you can’t get enough of cheese, sprinkle some more on!

Notes

Some notes on this recipe: For this recipe, we made it was bacon that was from the West Side Market in Cleveland and it is not your average bacon. Typically we make it with pancetta, and when we are in Italy, it is with my mother-in-law's homemade pancetta. I'm only suggesting that if you can look for some great pancetta or bacon, make it with that. If you can't, it will still be delicious. The texture of the sauce should be creamy and you don't want it too dry, so work fast! It takes some practice to reach the right consistency. Forget about 30 minutes or less…this is a recipe you can make in just 15 minutes! The time it takes to get you ingredients together and the water boiling. You whip up your egg sauce and you have the bacon (or pancetta)frying while you wait for the water to boil. It's really that fast and easy. Like with most Italian recipes, adjust the cheese to your taste, and also the salt and pepper. I like more freshly ground pepper on a creamy and cheesy dish like this.

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