For a long time I thought I didn’t like carbonara because the few I tried were too creamy and eggy. Recently I gave it another try because the picture in the menu looked delicious. It was excellent, and I decided I wanted to learn how to make it myself. I needed some practice before I felt comfortable with the timings, but overall it’s a pretty simple recipe that wasn’t hard to learn.

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti for 2
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 block of parmesan cheese
  • 1 block of bacon, cut into chunks
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil

Notes

  • There are no weights and volumes because I can’t be bothered to measure things.
  • You can use 3 egg yolks if you want the sauce to be thicker.
  • Pecorino cheese might be more authentic, but parmesan is totally fine.
  • Pancetta might be more authentic, but I personally prefer normal bacon (gasp!).
  • The cheese and pepper tastes better if it’s freshly grated/ground.

Method

  1. Start cooking the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
  2. Beat the eggs in a bowl, and grate in the cheese.
    • Keep adding cheese until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.
    • Add pepper to taste.
  3. Heat the garlic with olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and cook the bacon.
    • Cook the bacon until it starts to crisp on the outside.
    • Take out the garlic once the bacon is done cooking.
  4. Once the pasta is ready, add it to the frying pan and mix well with the bacon.
    • Add the pasta directly to the pan with tongs (instead of using a strainer) to get a nice amount of pasta water as well.
    • Remove the pan from the heat here and take your time, so that the pan is not too hot when you add the sauce.
  5. Add the sauce and mix well.
    • The heat from the pasta will be enough to gently cook the egg.
    • If the pan is too hot here, you will get pasta with scrambled eggs (gross).
    • If the sauce seems too thick, add some more pasta water.
  6. Serve with some extra cheese and pepper on top.