Classic Spaghetti Carbonara the Roman Way

Introduction

Carbonara is the perfect weeknight pasta — four ingredients, fifteen minutes, no fancy equipment. The catch is that you have to make it the Roman way: no cream, no garlic, and absolutely no onion. The silkiness comes from the eggs being tempered slowly with hot pasta water off the heat. If you keep the pan on the burner, you get scrambled eggs. If you take it off, you get a glossy sauce that clings to every strand.

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Ingredients

• •200 g spaghetti or rigatoni
• •120 g guanciale (or pancetta), cut into 1 cm strips
• •2 large eggs plus 2 extra yolks
• •60 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, plus more to serve
• •1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to serve
• •Salt for the pasta water

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and drop in the pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente.

2. 2

   While the pasta cooks, render the guanciale in a cold dry pan over medium heat until the fat is golden and the meat is crisp at the edges, about 6–7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. 3

   In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, yolks, Pecorino, and black pepper into a thick paste.

4. 4

   When the pasta is ready, reserve a mug of starchy cooking water and drain. Tip the pasta into the pan with the guanciale and toss to coat in the rendered fat.

5. 5

   Off the heat, pour in the egg mixture and stir vigorously, adding a splash of pasta water at a time, until you have a glossy, creamy sauce.

6. 6

   Serve immediately with more Pecorino and a heavy crack of pepper.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

Nutrition is an approximation generated from ingredient databases and may vary based on brands and exact measurements.

Calories

680 kcal

Protein

32 g

Carbs

78 g

Fat

26 g