Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Authentic Roman Recipe)

Spaghetti alla Carbonara is an egg based pasta dish from Italy, specifically the Rome region in Lazio where my family is from. Once you learn how the original is made, then you can make changes to suit your tastes, but you’ll know the authentic version from all the others.

Before I go any further, just know that spaghetti alla carbonara is ready in the time it takes to cook your pasta: it’s super quick and also easy to make.

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What is Spaghetti alla Carbonara?

When I ask people if they’ve ever had spaghetti alla carbonara, and the answer is “no”,  I attempt to describe it as “spaghetti with bacon and eggs” and I get the strangest looks. (Since I wrote this in 2012, spaghetti alla carbonara has increased in popularity, immensely!)

Well, I can imagine what they’re picturing, and maybe you’re picturing it too, but It’s not what you think, as you can see by the picture above.

Spaghetti alla carbonara, or “coal miner’s spaghetti” is a traditional Roman meal, and one of the best known from the central Italian region. Most people tend to believe the pasta is named after the coal workers, because it was a staple for those who collected wood in the Appenine Mountains to make charcoal.

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There is also the theory that the quantity of bacon and powdered eggs that American soldiers had readily available during World War II was the inspiration for this pasta.

I tend to go with the former idea, but the bottom line is that this pasta is fantastic!  I’m just glad someone thought of it!

Traditionally, this dish is made with guanciale which is Italian style bacon made from pig’s cheek, however, since it’s not easily obtained in the US, I usually use pancetta (you can make your own pancetta) or American bacon and it’s still delicious, just not authentic.

This forkful is made with bacon.

Years ago, I was given a cookbook as a wedding gift, called The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed. As a British born cook living in Italy (lucky duck!) she compiled 100 pasta sauce recipes in this very simple book. After reading her inauthentic version of spaghetti alla carbonara, I just couldn’t bring myself to even come close to trying it.

Being from Lazio (central Italy), my mother often made her version of spaghetti alla carbonara, but she would only use about 2 eggs and a little milk for a pound of pasta (again, using the entire egg and milk isn’t an authentic version).

In contrast to my mother’s, here is Diane Seed’s recipe for a pound of pasta:

• 5 eggs
• 4 oz heavy cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 oz butter
• 7 oz bacon
• 4 oz grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
• salt and pepper

Can you say “HEART ATTACK ON A PLATE!?” Make sure to have a doctor nearby if you decide to make this version. Not to mention she lived in Rome and had the audacity to say this is carbonara with all that cream and butter in the recipe-yikes!

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Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
(lower fat authentic version)

• 6 oz guanciale (since most of you are in the US, just use pancetta if you can’t find guanciale, or even 6 or 7 rashers of lean bacon) chopped into pieces
• 3 or 4 egg yolks
• 1 ounce grated real Pecorino Romano (remember, it’s a Roman dish)
• salt and black pepper
• 1 lb of high quality spaghetti

Spaghetti with Bacon and Eggs
(Christina’s version for US kitchens)

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

• 6 rashers of lean bacon, chopped into pieces (I use kitchen scissors) or pancetta
• 3 eggs
• 2 ounces heavy (whipping) cream
• 6 oz whole milk
• 1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese (do not use a lower quality substitute)
• salt and black pepper
• 1 lb of good quality spaghetti

Start boiling salted water for pasta in a very large pot (pasta needs a lot of water to cook properly.)

Next, fry the bacon pieces until cooked, but not crispy. It should look like this.

Pasta should be in the water and starting to cook by this point.

Beat the 3 eggs in a 2 cup pyrex jug. Add the cream, and fill with milk up to 12 oz. Stir well, and add some salt and quite a bit of black pepper.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it and reserve some water, and put back in the same pot and back on the burner, over the lowest heat possible (just warm.) Now add the egg mixture from the pyrex jug.

Start to stir and then add the bacon pieces. Add some of the pasta water if needed.

Now add the grated cheese, and stir well to combine evenly. The eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta, so quickly turn off the burner as soon as the sauce starts to thicken.

That’s it–it’s ready!

I have to admit, these aren’t photos of my own cooking. The truth is, my son made dinner tonight (yes, my 18 year old son made this). Both he and my daughter were starving, so I was rushed into dishing out the pasta for my photos. I didn’t get enough sauce mixed up from the bottom, but you can still see how creamy and delicious it looks!

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Spaghetti alla Carbonara (authentic low-fat and inauthentic not-so-low-fat versions!)

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

My version of a Carbonara recipe. It includes milk and cream, which is taboo in Italian Carbonara recipes; it is NOT authentic.

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Ingredients

• 1 tsp lard
• 7 oz (200 g) guanciale or pancetta
• 6 egg yolks
• 4 oz (120 g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese (you can use half Pecorino and half Parmigiano Reggiano)
• salt and black pepper
• 1 lb of good quality spaghetti

Instructions

1. Start boiling salted water for pasta in a very large pot (pasta needs a lot of water to cook properly.)
2. Next, fry the bacon pieces until cooked, but not crispy. It should look like this.
3. Pasta should be in the water and starting to cook by this point.
4. Beat the 3 eggs in a 2 cup pyrex jug. Add the cream, and fill with milk up to 16 oz. Stir well, and add some salt and quite a bit of black pepper.
5. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and reserve some water, and put back in the same pot and back on the burner, over the lowest heat possible (just warm.) Now add the egg mixture from the pyrex jug.
6. Start to stir and then add the bacon pieces. Add some of the pasta water if needed.
7. Now add the grated cheese, and stir well to combine evenly. The eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta, so quickly turn off the burner as soon as the sauce starts to thicken. That's it--it's ready!

Notes

• 6 oz guanciale (since most of you are in the US, just use pancetta if you can't find guanciale, or even 6 or 7 rashers of lean bacon) chopped into pieces
• 3 or 4 egg yolks
• 1 ounce grated real Pecorino Romano (remember, it's a Roman dish)
• salt and black pepper
• 1 lb of high quality spaghetti

Follow directions exactly as above, omitting the milk/cream.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 504Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 19g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

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