With crispy pork, a velvety cheese sauce, and a peppery bite, this spaghetti carbonara recipe is as easy to make for dinner as it is at 2 a.m. after a night out. It’s a signature dish of Rome, and like cacio e pepe and similar pasta dishes, its simplicity demands proper technique and quality ingredients. Cured meat adds salty depth; guanciale is traditional, but pancetta or plain old American bacon (preferably thick-cut) works too. Egg yolks provide the sauce’s luscious texture and golden hue, so use farm-fresh eggs if possible. For the cheese and noodles, spend a little extra: Buy Romano cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano and quality bronze-cut spaghetti.
Timing and temperature are critical for achieving the glossy sheen of carbonara’s creamy sauce. Be sure to add the ingredients in the order indicated and remove the pot from the heat before incorporating the raw egg mixture. The hot pasta will help cook the yolks while you stir, emulsifying cheese, eggs, and the starch of the pasta water into liquid velvet.
At dinner, this pasta dish is nice served with a salad of mixed greens, but when you’re in the throes of an after-hours hang, just grab a fork.
What you’ll need
Eataly Italian Bucatini Pasta
$15 At Amazon
