Real carbonara has no cream, no garlic, and no onion — the silk comes entirely from egg yolks emulsified with starchy pasta water and rendered pork fat. Get the technique right and it's one of the fastest great dinners on earth.
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
- 150 g (5 oz) guanciale (or pancetta), diced
- 4 large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 80 g (1 cup) Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt for the pasta water
Method
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Before draining, scoop out a full cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Meanwhile, add the diced guanciale to a cold pan and set over medium heat. Let it render slowly until deeply golden and crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rendered fat in the pan.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, Pecorino and black pepper into a thick paste. Loosen it with 2–3 tablespoons of the hot pasta water — this gently warms the eggs so they won't scramble later.
- Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the guanciale pan (heat off) and toss to coat in the fat. Pour in the egg mixture and toss vigorously, adding pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand.
- Serve immediately with extra Pecorino and black pepper on top.
🍝 Keep the eggs off direct heat
The number one carbonara mistake is scrambled eggs. Always combine the egg mixture with the pasta off the burner — the residual heat of the pasta and pan is plenty. If it looks too thick, more pasta water; too loose, toss over very low heat for a few seconds.