Authentic Spaghetti Carbonara
Authentic Italian spaghetti carbonara with guanciale, Pecorino, and eggs—rich, silky, and made without cream.
Ingredients
- 7 oz. guanciale 200 g
- 3.5 oz pecorino cheese 100 g
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 egg whole
- 12 oz spaghetti 350 g
- pepper
- salt
Instructions
- Cut Guanciale into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces.
- Put the guanciale in a saucepan and start browning it over low heat.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add salt and the spaghetti. Cook it al dente (usually 7–8 minutes). Be careful with the salt, since guanciale or bacon can already be quite salty.
- In the meantime, make the “sauce” for the authentic spaghetti carbonara. Put 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg in a large bowl.
- Add the grated Pecorino cheese, and salt and pepper to taste (again, be careful with the salt).
- Whisk together the eggs and Pecorino.
- When the guanciale is crisp and browned, transfer it to a plate and let it cool.
- Once the guanciale has cooled to room temperature, add it to the egg-and-Pecorino mixture and stir. You don’t want to do this while the guanciale is still hot, unless you want scrambled eggs.
- Once the pasta is cooked al dente, you have to work fast. The sauce in authentic spaghetti carbonara is basically eggs and Pecorino cheese turned into a rich, creamy sauce by the heat of the spaghetti. If it’s too cold, you won’t get a proper sauce. If it’s too hot, you’ll end up with spaghetti and scrambled eggs. Drain the spaghetti, wait a few seconds, and toss it with the egg-and-Pecorino mixture.
- Your authentic spaghetti carbonara is ready. Serve immediately.
Notes
Original name: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
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