Spaghetti Carbonara

Where do I even begin??

Spaghetti Carbonara may make my list for top 3 favorite pasta dishes of all time. Imma let that sink in cause that's a pretty bold statement. And I'm Italian, so you know I know my pasta.

Carbonara is salty and unctuous and so, so satisfying. Whisked eggs and parmesan are drizzled over garlicky, bacony noodles making for a creamy and flavorful fork-full of pasta!

The ingredients are simple and straight-forward. The real trick is pulling together the sauce. It comes together speedy quick. And I cannot stress this enough - prep all your ingredients before you start cooking. Just after tossing your hot spaghetti with the fried pancetta and garlic, remove the pan from the heat. Very slowly drizzle over that cheesy egg mixture while repeatedly stirring the noodles. Aim for the noodles, not the pan unless you're gunning for scrambled eggs with your spaghetti.

You may need to practice this recipe once or twice before getting it down. But once you nail it, Holy Moses is it delicious!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients

· 1 lb spaghetti

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 4 oz pancetta (or bacon) diced

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· 4 large eggs

· 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

· 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, minced

· Salt & black pepper

Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water for the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a large skillet over medium heat, render the pancetta in olive oil. Add the garlic once the pancetta is almost crispy. Cook until the garlic is golden brown and remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and cheese until well combined.

Strain the noodles, and immediately add the spaghetti to the pan. Toss to coat with the pancetta and garlic. While continuously stirring the noodles, slowly pour the egg mixture over the hot noodles. It’s important to pour the eggs over the noodles (rather than the pan) and keep them moving to avoid scrambling the eggs. If a thinner sauce is desired, add a touch of the pasta water to the pan. Season to taste with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4

Notes

The amount of salt needed for the sauce will vary greatly depending on the saltiness of your cheese and bacon. You may not need any additional salt at all! Taste a noodle before seasoning and serving.

Gluten Free Friendly!

Use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti - we prefer Gluten-Free Barilla. Rather than reserving any pasta water, use a bit of chicken stock to thin the sauce if needed.