Pasta Carbonara sometimes gets a bad rap. Often in restaurants what is sold as carbonara is actually nothing like the real thing. It is all too common to see a big bowl of pasta tossed in a heavy cream sauce with a bit of bacon and maybe some peas and have it labeled as pasta carbonara. I'm here to tell you that that ain't it. Today, we are going to talk about the real thing.
Prepare to have your mind blown because this is...
What Is Pasta Carbonara?
Pasta carbonara is a simple pasta dish originating in Rome. A true carbonara should have five, maybe six ingredients maximum. One of those being pasta. It absolutely does not contain cream of any kind.
If Carbonara Doesn't Have Cream in It, What Makes the Sauce So Creamy?
Great question! The creaminess of the sauce comes from the combination of two ingredients: egg and cheese. The heat from the pasta gently cooks the egg while the cheese melts into it, creating that signature silky texture without a drop of cream.
Real carbonara is proof that Italian food lives on a few good ingredients. I wrote about learning that lesson in my authentic Italian meal post.
How to Make Carbonara
I've been trying to kind of beat around the bush here and build up suspense but it's almost impossible to talk about carbonara without completely giving up what it is. So, let's cut the preamble and get to it.
Carbonara consists of guanciale (we'll get to that in a second), pasta, parmesan or pecorino cheese, eggs, and pepper. Sometimes parsley will be added. That's it.
What Is Guanciale?
Guanciale (guan-chal-a) is cured and dried pig cheek or jowl. It is very similar in taste and texture to good bacon with the exception that there is no smoky flavour. If you can't find or don't want to use guanciale, pancetta, or bacon can be used as a substitute.
What Type of Pasta Should You Use?
The pasta used for carbonara is most commonly spaghetti or a slightly thinner spaghettini. The key is a long, thin pasta that the sauce can cling to.
Step by Step
Okay, here comes the fun part!
When I say that carbonara is a simple pasta dish, I really mean that. In fact, most classic Italian pasta dishes only contain a handful of ingredients and take a few minutes to make. They are often light as opposed to their North American counterparts. If you want to explore more of that simplicity, my post on the food of Northern Italy digs into this philosophy.
To make carbonara, get a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Dice up the guanciale or bacon into pieces (about ½ a cup total) about the size of the fingernail on your little finger. Put the bacon in a pan with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and turn on to medium-low heat. Cook the bacon until it has crisped up a little.
While the bacon is cooking put a handful of dried spaghetti in the pot of boiling water -- you want enough pasta for two people.
Now, in a mixing bowl combine two eggs, plus one extra yolk along with half a cup of grated parmesan cheese. It is really important to use real parmesan for this, not the pre-grated stuff out of the bottle. Mix the cheese and egg yolks really well and season with fresh cracked pepper.
Keep the bacon in the hot pan but drain off half of the oil. Add the cooked pasta to the bacon pan and toss to mix and coat the pasta with the remaining oil. Add the hot pasta and bacon mixture to the egg and cheese mixture and stir with tongs.
If you've been paying attention you will realize that the eggs aren't cooked. Good eye! But, that's not really true. The heat from the bacon and the pasta, as long as your timing is right, will be enough to cook the egg and melt the cheese. This will make the sauce and give the pasta that creamy consistency. For more about working with eggs and how heat transforms them, that's a great companion read.
Serve the pasta garnished with a little more grated cheese and maybe a touch of parsley.
That's it. That is how you make a true pasta carbonara.
Final Thoughts
Carbonara is one of those dishes that proves the best food doesn't need to be complicated. Five or six ingredients, about fifteen minutes, and you've got something that genuinely rivals any restaurant version -- and it's lighter than you'd ever expect.
For another pasta that runs on pantry staples, try this pasta puttanesca. The anchovies do the work that guanciale does here.
