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Spaghetti Carbonara
Italian

Spaghetti Carbonara

The real thing: eggs and pecorino whipped into a glossy sauce by the pasta water alone, with crisp bacon and a lot of black pepper.

Total
25 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
  • quick
  • comfort
  • cheap

Ingredients

For 4 servings

  • bacon8 oz
  • egg4 piece
  • spaghetti14 oz
  • pecorino cheese3 oz
  • frozen peas2 cup
  • garlic4 clove
  • black pepper2 tsp
  • salt4 tsp

You'll need

pot · skillet · bowl

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil.

    6 min · boil

  2. Beat the eggs with the grated pecorino and a heavy grind of black pepper in a bowl. It should look like a thick paste.

    3 min · prep

  3. Cook the bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the edges crisp. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds, then take the pan off the heat.

    8 min · fry

  4. Boil the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Add the peas for the final minute. Save a mug of pasta water before draining.

    9 min · boil

  5. Tip the drained pasta into the bacon pan, still off the heat, and toss to coat in the fat.

    1 min · toss

  6. Pour in the egg mixture and toss hard, adding splashes of pasta water until it turns glossy. Off the heat is the whole trick — scrambled eggs mean the pan was too hot.

    2 min · toss

Serving suggestion

Serve it the second it is glossy. Carbonara does not wait for anyone.

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