JustMakeThis

Simple Pasta Carbonara

Roman carbonara with egg yolks, parmesan, and bacon. No cream needed. Rich, quick, and deeply satisfying.

Medium · 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300g spaghetti
  • 150g bacon or pancetta, diced
  • 3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
  • 80g parmesan, finely grated
  • Black pepper
  • Salt

Steps

  1. Cook bacon in pan until crispy. Keep fat in pan. Set aside.
  2. Mix egg yolks, whole egg, and parmesan in bowl. Season with pepper.
  3. Cook pasta. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
  4. Add hot pasta to bacon pan. Remove from heat.
  5. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Toss quickly, adding pasta water gradually.
  6. Sauce should be creamy, not scrambled. Add bacon back and serve.

Why this works

Egg yolks and cheese emulsify with pasta water to create a creamy coating without cream. The residual heat cooks the eggs just enough.

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