Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 g spaghetti
- 10 g kosher salt
Meat
- 150 g pancetta, diced into 1cm cubes
Dairy and Eggs
- 5 egg yolks, room temperature
- 100 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
Seasoning
- 5 g black pepper, freshly and coarsely ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 678 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbohydrates
- 74 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 1818 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 260 mg
- Potassium
- 457 mg
- Calcium
- 352 mg
- Iron
- 3.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 19 mg
- Phosphorus
- 503 mg
- Zinc
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 138 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 1.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.21 mg
- Niacin
- 0.1 mg
- Folate
- 35 mcg
- Water
- 19 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring 3 liters of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the kosher salt. The water temperature should reach 100 degrees C / 212 degrees F.
Place the diced pancetta in a cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook slowly to render the fat. Cook until the edges are crispy and golden, but not burned. Remove the skillet from the heat.
While the pork cooks, combine the egg yolks, finely grated parmesan cheese, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until it forms a thick, uniform paste.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook until 1 minute shy of the package directions for al dente. Do not drain the pasta water.
Using tongs, transfer the cooked spaghetti directly from the water into the skillet with the pancetta and its rendered fat. The skillet must remain off the heat. Toss the pasta vigorously to coat every strand in the fat.
Spoon 30ml of the hot pasta water into the bowl with the egg and cheese paste. Whisk quickly to temper the eggs, turning the thick paste into a smooth, pourable slurry.
Pour the tempered egg mixture over the pasta in the skillet. Toss the pasta rapidly and continuously. Add splashes of hot pasta water, about 20ml at a time, continuing to toss until a glossy, creamy sauce forms that clings tightly to the noodles. The residual heat will cook the eggs safely without scrambling them.
Transfer the coated pasta to warmed serving bowls. Garnish immediately with additional grated parmesan and black pepper.
Chef's Notes
- The secret to a flawless carbonara is thermal management. Tossing the pasta in the fat off the heat drops the temperature just enough to create a safe environment for the eggs to emulsify rather than scramble.
- Bronze-die extruded pasta has a rougher surface that acts like sandpaper in the boiling water, releasing more starch. This starch is the essential glue that binds the fat and liquid in your sauce.
- Tempering the egg mixture before adding it to the main pan is an insurance policy. It gently raises the temperature of the yolks so they do not experience shock when hitting the hot pasta.
- Do not salt the pasta water as heavily as you would for a tomato sauce. The rendered pork and the hard aged cheese contribute significant salinity.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 day — Store in an airtight container. The emulsion will break upon cooling.
Reheating: Reheat extremely gently over a double boiler with a splash of water, tossing constantly. Microwaving will scramble the eggs.
Troubleshooting
Sauce has a scrambled egg texture instead of being creamy
Cause: The pan or pasta was too hot when the egg mixture was added, cooking the proteins too rapidly
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Always remove the skillet from the heat completely before adding eggs, and temper the yolk paste with pasta water first.
Sauce is clumpy and dry
Cause: Not enough pasta water was added during the emulsification phase, or cheese was grated too coarsely
Fix: Add 30ml of hot pasta water and toss vigorously off the heat to revive the emulsion.
Prevention: Reserve plenty of pasta water and add it gradually while tossing. Grate cheese on a microplane.
Cultural Context
Carbonara is a relatively modern Roman dish, first appearing in print in the mid-20th century. Its name is commonly associated with 'carbonai', the woodcutters and charcoal makers of the Apennine mountains, who purportedly relied on easily preserved rations like cured pork, hard cheese, and eggs for energy. Traditionalists insist on guanciale (cured pork jowl) and Pecorino Romano, but pancetta and parmesan are universally accepted variations that yield an equally magnificent result.
