Home - Dinner - Pasta - Homemade Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

Homemade Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

5 from 44 community reviews

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Make classic Italian pasta carbonara tonight with my tested-and-perfected recipe. This comforting pasta dinner is ready to serve in about 30 minutes, and features spaghetti in a creamy sauce with eggs, thick-cut bacon, and two kinds of grated cheese, Parmesan and pecorino Romano.

A bowl of spaghetti carbonara topped with grated cheese and parsley. The dish includes strands of pasta mixed with bits of bacon or pancetta. A fork rests inside the bowl. A small bowl of grated cheese is partially visible in the background.
Pasta coated with carbonara sauce, crisp pieces of bacon and grated cheeses.

Pasta carbonara is a classy meal, and at the same time so comforting. Because when you’re hungry there’s nothing better than carbs, salt, and cheese! My easy carbonara recipe is a family-style crowd-pleaser for good reason — it’s a quick Italian pasta recipe made with simple ingredients.

After much trial and error over the years, this is now my go-to recipe for pasta carbonara, with perfectly cooked spaghetti (or other long strands of pasta) tangled up in a creamy sauce with bacon and grated cheese. It’s soul-satisfying, and absolutely one of my all-time comfort foods.

A white plate with pasta carbonara garnished with grated cheese, peas, and crispy bacon bits. A fork rests on the plate, and fresh herbs are sprinkled over the dish.

I grew up in an Italian family, but the homemade pasta sauces my mom and grandmothers cooked was usually red sauce and meatballs. It wasn’t until I went to Italy and tasted this phenomenal dish in Rome that I was able to perfect the recipe to a “T”!

My kids have always l-o-v-e-d what they’ve endearingly shortened to “carbonara,” or pasta with bacon and cheese. To this day it’s still the most requested dinner on their birthdays.

I even included a version of bacon carbonara in my cookbook, but I’ve perfected the recipe to show you how to make this restaurant-quality dish at home.

Photo showing ingredients to make pasta carbonara, with a package of bacon, eggs, grated cheese, black pepper, pasta noodles and parsley.

Ingredients tips:

  • Dried pasta: You can use your preference of spaghetti, bucatini, fettuccine or linguine. Long strands of pasta noodles are the best for slurping.
  • Cheese: Use fresh hunks of Parmesan cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano) and Pecorino Romano cheeses and grate them fresh for the very best flavor.
  • Bacon or pancetta: American-style smoked bacon isn’t really a thing in Italy. Cured pork jowl — guanciale — or pancetta is most often used in traditional carbonara recipes. Outside of Italy, it’s become common to use bacon, which is more readily available. Look for thick-sliced unsmoked bacon, if possible. You can also use pancetta if you want to be very close to the original. Ask the meat or deli counter to slice it into 1/2-inch thick rounds, then slice it yourself into 1/2-inch cubes.
  • Eggs: My recipe uses a higher ratio of large egg yolks to whole eggs (3 to 1), which is true to the authentic Roman-style carbonara.
  • Peas: Not at all a traditional ingredient in carbonara, but frozen peas are an add-in option. I started adding peas to pasta carbonara when my kids were little for an extra hit of vegetables and green color.

Cream in carbonara: Yes or no?

This much is true — authentic carbonara doesn’t use heavy cream. I imagine that if you told an Italian to pour cream in a carbonara sauce they would moan dramatically while rolling their eyes. In other words, it’s considered a no-no.

The reason carbonara sauce is kind of magical has to do with chemistry. It happens when the heat of the cooking water and hot pasta quickly “cook” the egg mixture. That’s all there is to it. The egg proteins thicken when you combine hot pasta with raw eggs, transforming into a creamy-textured sauce that coats the noodles.

My recipe stays true to the classic method. It’s rich-tasting and satisfying made with egg yolks alone. Adding heavy cream makes the sauce a bit too rich, more like an alfredo sauce.

How to make spaghetti carbonara:

What if carbonara sauce curdles?

Carbonara is a sauce made with raw eggs. For that reason, there’s always a chance the eggs in your sauce will “cook” too much, and almost look like bits of scrambled eggs.

First of all, don’t worry. What causes it is the heat of the piping-hot pasta coming into contact with the eggs without enough room for it to steam. Your carbonara will still taste great, but try these steps to master the technique:

  • Whisk the hot pasta water into the eggs just before adding the pasta.
  • Mix the sauce and pasta in a large shallow bowl (as opposed to a deep mixing bowl) so that the heat doesn’t concentrate at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Toss the egg mixture and pasta quickly and repeatedly until all the strands are coated.
Plates of spaghetti carbonara with peas, bacon, and grated cheese rest on a light surface. A large serving bowl holds the remaining pasta. Two glasses of white wine and a small dish of extra cheese are nearby. A sprig of parsley adds a touch of green.
It’s not authentic, but you can add frozen peas to the sauce.
Pasta carbonara in a serving bowl, topped with grated cheese and chopped parsely.

Homemade Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

Karen Tedesco
This tested and perfected classic pasta carbonara recipe is a winner! The best family-favorite dish with spaghetti, eggs, bacon and grated cheese can be served plain and simple, or jazzed-up with my suggested seasonings.
Print
5 from 44 community reviews
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

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 the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet. 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 the egg yolks, whole egg, Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. If you have a large 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 the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually about 10 minutes.) Scoop out 3/4 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
  • Whisk ½ 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 water if the sauce seems dry. Sprinkle the bacon and parsley over the pasta and toss to combine. Serve right away, with additional grated cheese on the side.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

It’s a must that you serve pasta carbonara as soon as it’s done. For the same reason, pasta carbonara does not reheat well. Once it cools, the pasta soaks up all the egg sauce and the delectable creamy texture will be absorbed. But it still tastes good!
Variations:
  • 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).
  • Throw in 1 1/2 cups frozen peas to the 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

Calories: 810kcal Carbohydrates: 94g Protein: 33g Fat: 32g Sodium: 586mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 6g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Recipe developer Karen Tedesco of the popular website Familystyle Food in her kitchen making a kale salad.

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.

5 from 44 votes (39 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment and star rating

Do you have a cooking question? Leave your comment below and let me know how I can help.

Did you love this recipe? Just click on the stars to leave a rating!

Recipe rating




Share your photo!Inspire others by uploading an image of your creation along with your review. The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

You may want to read my commenting policy before joining the conversation.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

12 Comments

  1. Josephine Taylor says:

    5 stars
    My husband and I loved this recipe. He kept commenting how good it was. Easy to follow recipe and tastes like authentic carbonara.

    1. 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!

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!!!

  3. 5 stars
    Followed this to the T and my family ate every last bit, no leftovers! Thanks for sharing.

  4. 5 stars
    It was beyond delicious, I forgot to take a picture.

  5. Brandy Reid says:

    So if I’m doubling or tripling the recipe.. I would double the amount of pasta water I add to the egg mixture correct?

    1. 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.

  6. Candace Williams says:

    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

  7. 5 stars
    I just love carbonara, and especially this recipe and the incredibly clear instructions! You take all the worries away.

  8. 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