Creamy Authentic Carbonara Recipes

CREAMY CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the pancetta to a large skillet and saute over medium-low heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Add the half and half to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Stir in the black pepper. Taste for salt and season if needed. I find no salt is needed since the cheese adds plenty of saltiness.
• Add the cooked spaghetti, bacon and basil to the skillet and toss well to combine.
• Garnish with more Parmesan cheese if desired and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA: THE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add guanciale (see Cook's Note). Cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, half of the Pecorino Romano cheese, and some black pepper in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour egg mixture over pasta, stirring quickly, until creamy and slightly cooled. Stir in guanciale. Top with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and more black pepper.

CREAMY AUTHENTIC CARBONARA

Steps:

• Boil pasta until al dente.
• While pasta is boiling heat cream until just warm.
• Drain pasta and toss with melted butter.
• Add eggs to cream mixture and stir to combine, then toss with pasta.
• Add proscuitto, parsley, and parmesan cheese to pasta and toss to combine.
• Serve immediately.

AUTHENTIC CREAMY CARBONARA RECIPE (NO CREAM)

Steps:

• The process will require quick action, so it is best to be prepared with all your tools ahead of time. Make sure you have: a pan for frying the meat, a metal bowl for the egg mixture, tongs for handling pasta, a spatula to stir the bacon, a whisk for the eggs.
• Boil some water in a kettle and fill the pot just enough to cover the pasta. You want to have as much starch as possible in the pasta water to create the perfect creaminess for your carbonara, for this reason you don't want to use a huge pot with way too much water.
• Add 1 tbsp of sea salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cover the pot. You want to stir your pasta in the beginning so that it doesn't end up sticking.
• Boil the pasta for about 9-10 minutes or until al dente (not quite yet done, but almost).
• While your pasta is boiling, chop the bacon (or pancetta) and fry it for about 7 minutes in olive oil on low heat.
• While the meat is sizzling away and the pasta is swimming in a hot bath we will prepare the egg and cheese mix. Add the egg and the egg yolks together and whisk. Grate the cheese, add the black pepper, and whisk to combine. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
• When your pasta is ready, transfer it from the pot to the frying pan where the bacon is. Swirl the pasta a little bit so that it pics up the pork fat and the oil from the pan. Leave in the pan until the next step.
• Scoop about ½ cup of pasta water out and set aside. Bring the rest of the pasta water to a simmer and place the metal bowl with eggs over it to create a double boiler (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water or the eggs will curdle). Add the pasta to the eggs and start stirring vigorously to make sure you don't create scrambled eggs. Add the pasta water you set aside to the mix to add more creaminess to the sauce.
• If you think your sauce is too thin, then keep the pasta over the boiler for longer until the liquids evaporate and the sauce thickens. If your sauce is too thick, then add more pasta water!
• Serve carbonara right away as the sauce will become hard overtime. Top with some black pepper and grated cheese!