Classic Pasta Carbonara Recipe (with Bacon)
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What makes this pasta carbonara such a standout is how a few ingredients transform into something wonderful. With just hot pasta and a splash of starchy cooking water, a mixture of egg and cheese turns into a rich, glossy sauce for pasta. I use thick-cut bacon — which is easier to find than guanciale and equally delicious — and the recipe comes together in about 35 minutes.
Pasta carbonara is one of Rome’s great pasta dishes, and one of the simplest. It’s based on a handful of ingredients: Dried pasta, eggs, grated aged cheese, cured pork, and black pepper. No cream, no shortcuts.
I grew up in an Italian-American family where Sunday pasta meant red sauce and meatballs or this meaty baked ziti. Carbonara came into my life later, after a trip to Rome — and once I tasted the real thing, I couldn’t leave it alone.
These ingredients matter:
- Bacon, pancetta, or guanciale: The traditional choice is guanciale — cured pork jowl with a rich, fatty flavor that’s unlike anything else (if you want to try guanciale in another classic Roman dish, my amatriciana sauce is the next step). Pancetta is a fine substitute and easier to find at most grocery stores. I use bacon, and I’m unapologetic about it. Look for thick-sliced, unsmoked bacon. I think the smokiness in regular bacon can overpower the other flavors. If you use pancetta, ask the deli counter to slice it thick — about 1/2-inch — then cube it yourself.
- Eggs: The ratio matters more than most people realize. I use three yolks for every one whole egg, which is the Roman standard and the reason the sauce turns out as rich and cohesive as it does. More whole eggs and you lose the deep golden color and the sauce is harder to thicken. Use the best eggs you can find — the yolks are the sauce.
- Cheese: I like to use equal parts Parmesan and Pecorino Romano. Parmesan is mild and nutty, Pecorino is sharp and salty. Together they hit the right balance. If possible, buy them in hunks and grate them fresh at home.
Cream in carbonara: Yes or no?
No — and here’s why: Cream changes the fundamental nature of the dish, making the sauce heavy and one-dimensional. It also masks the flavor of the eggs and cheese, which are the whole point.
The magic of carbonara is pure chemistry. The heat from hot pasta and starchy cooking water gently sets the eggs, creating a sauce that coats the pasta like a glove. Cream turns this dish into something else entirely. The same principle applies to cacio e pepe — Rome’s other great minimalist pasta — where cheese and starchy water do all the work.
How to make spaghetti carbonara:
1. I learned how to cook bacon in the oven when I worked in restaurant kitchens, and I never looked back. It’s so much easier and less messy! Lay the bacon strips on a rimmed sheet pan without overlapping — crowding them causes steaming instead of crisping. 2. The bacon is done when it’s deeply colored, not just cooked through. Pale bacon won’t give you the crisp texture or flavor you want. 3. Cut the bacon into rough 1/2-inch pieces — you want something substantial enough to bite into, not crumbles.
4. Add the eggs and grated cheese to a wide, shallow bowl — larger than you think you need. The pasta is going in here too, and shallow depth prevents heat from concentrating at the bottom and scrambling the eggs. 
5. Whisk 1/2 cup of hot pasta cooking water into the beaten egg and cheese mixture. Don’t skip this step. The eggs are raw, and if hot pasta hits them cold, they’ll scramble rather than emulsify.
6. Work fast and keep tossing. The heat from the pasta is what cooks the sauce, and it only stays hot for a few minutes. 7. Add the bacon at the end so it stays crisp — if it goes in too early, the residual heat softens it.
Classic Pasta Carbonara Recipe (with Bacon)
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (225 g) thick-sliced bacon
- Kosher salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 large whole egg
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound (450 g) dried spaghetti, bucatini or linguine pasta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 (200 C) degrees and line a large tray with paper towels.
- Arrange 12 ounces thick-sliced bacon on a rimmed baking sheet, or lay them on top of a rack that fits inside, for crispier bacon. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until the bacon is deeply colored and crisp. Transfer to the tray to blot excess fat. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
- Whisk 3 large egg yolks, 1 large whole egg, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese cup each of the Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses, ¼ teaspoon salt, and Freshly ground black pepper in your largest mixing bowl. If you have a wide pasta serving bowl, use that to mix and serve.
- Bring 4-5 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 1 pound dried spaghetti, bucatini or linguine pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually about 10 minutes.) Scoop out ¾ cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Whisk ¼ cup of the hot water into into the egg yolk mixture — this tempers the eggs so they won't scramble.
- Immediately dump the hot pasta into the bowl, then toss it all together quickly and thoroughly, using tongs or two spoons. You can add more of the pasta water if the sauce seems dry. Sprinkle the bacon and parsley over the pasta and toss to combine. Serve right away, with the remaining grated cheeses on the side.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Carbonara sauce may be made with pasteurized eggs.
- Add a small grated garlic clove and a pinch of crushed red pepper to the eggs.
- Toss a tablespoon or two of soft butter to the pasta (it’s not traditional but very delicious).
- Toss in 1 1/2 cups frozen peas to the boiling pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- If you’d like to use pancetta instead of bacon, bake 1/2-inch cubes 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees until crisp.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Excellent recipe. The eggs didn’t curdle!!!!
Fantastic!
We loved it! The tip to add the pasta water into the egg and cheese mixture really made a difference from other recipes I’ve tried and made a light, creamy sauce, so it wasn’t too dry.
My husband and I loved this recipe. He kept commenting how good it was. Easy to follow recipe and tastes like authentic carbonara.
Josephine – I’m so happy to hear that you both loved it! Comments like that from a husband mid-bite are always the best 😄 Thanks so much for trying the recipe and taking the time to share. I’m thrilled it hit that authentic carbonara note for you!
Absolutely delicious!!!
Followed this to the T and my family ate every last bit, no leftovers! Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear that Mo! That is usually the case in my house, too 🤩
It was beyond delicious, I forgot to take a picture.
So if I’m doubling or tripling the recipe.. I would double the amount of pasta water I add to the egg mixture correct?
Yes, to double the recipe add double the amount of pasta water (about 1 cup). If you’re tripling the recipe, start whisking with double the amount of water, then add additional water little by little if the sauce seems very thick.
I made this recipe and I used linguine instead of spaghetti and I had leftover grilled pork chops so I cut them and added them in. I absolutely love this recipe
I just love carbonara, and especially this recipe and the incredibly clear instructions! You take all the worries away.
I learned this recipe from some Italian soldiers I was working alongside. They had a robust discussion amongst themselves about the strategy to use to keep the eggs from curdling. Their collective conclusion was to add the pasta water to the egg mixture one tablespoon at a time as the pasta was cooking and beat that mixture (by hand with a fork with vigor) until it was creamy. Then add another tablespoon of pasta water and beat until fully incorporated continuing to add water until the mixture was “perfecto” (in my mind=consistency of cream) They focused a great deal on achieving a creamy texture and light color with the egg mixture. They also drained the pasta in the cook pot and immediately added the egg mixture. Swirled the pasta for a minute and plated. It was delicious so I committed myself to their technique. Love seeing the recipe here So many good memories
I love your story! Perfecto 🙂