Spaghetti Carbonara

The authentic Roman way: crisp pancetta, eggs and hard cheese, no cream, in a silky, glossy sauce.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 8 min
Cook: 14 min
Total: 22 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 350g dried spaghetti
  • 200g pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, diced
  • 3 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • 75g Pecorino or hard Italian-style cheese, finely grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, bashed
  • Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt for the pasta water

Method

  1. Cook the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water, then drain.

  2. While the pasta cooks, fry the pancetta with the garlic in a large cold frying pan over a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp. Discard the garlic and take the pan off the heat.

  3. Whisk the eggs, yolks, cheese and lots of black pepper together in a bowl.

  4. Add the hot spaghetti to the pancetta pan and toss in the fat. Let it cool for 30 seconds, then pour in the egg mixture and toss quickly with a splash of cooking water until you have a creamy sauce. Do not return to the heat or the eggs will scramble.

  5. Serve immediately with extra cheese and black pepper.