Indulgent, easy and oh so delicious! This creamy bacon pasta is for those days when nothing but a big bowl of comforting pasta will do. Learn how to make authentic spaghetti carbonara from scratch with only 5 simple ingredients (and none of them are cream!). With a deliciously rich and creamy sauce, this recipe only takes as long to make as it does to cook the pasta.
I have another easy pasta dish for you today! This creamy bacon (or pancetta) carbonara comes together with just 5 ingredients and requires very little prep. And the best part? You can be indulging in a big, steaming bowl of this creamy pasta in just 15 minutes from now!
This is a safe space, and I have a confession to make. I used to think that carbonara was supposed to have a tonne of cream in it. But as it turns out, I was committing a crime against pasta! Traditional carbonara gets its creaminess from eggs, cheese and some reserved pasta water. And it doesn’t contain any cream. Once you make it this way, you’ll never go back to the heavy, cream-laden version!
Loaded with garlic, bacon (or pancetta) and pecorino, the pasta sauce is made traditionally, with eggs rather than cream. The use of eggs and a good quality cheese makes this an affordable, restaurant quality pasta with a rick and glossy sauce that clings to every single strand of pasta.
This recipe makes a perfect easy dinner, simple date night or dinner party idea. Try it with some crusty bread, a simple rocket and pine nut salad or some grilled broccolini or asparagus. No matter how you serve it, this dish is a guaranteed crowd pleaser that will make even the fussiest eaters happy!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – even if you haven’t made carbonara from scratch before, this recipe is easy to follow and perfect for beginners. ** Please see my tips below to prevent curdling the sauce!
- No cream! – Learn how to make carbonara the traditional way, with only 5 ingredients (plus a little seasoning and olive oil).
What you’ll need
Ingredient notes
- Spaghetti – you don’t have to use spaghetti. Linguine, fettucine or tagliatelle work too. Shorter pasta like bow ties or penne can also be used, but I prefer the longer strands to hold all of the sauce.
- Pancetta, guanciale or bacon. A good quality pancetta will make all the difference in the end flavour.
- Pecorino romano cheese – trust me, a good quality Italian pecorino is a must! I have made this recipe with both parmesan and pecorino, and the quality and type of cheese makes a difference in the final flavour. I recommend grating your own fresh cheese, rather than using pre-packaged grated cheese. Pre-grated cheese is coated in anti-caking and anti-mold agents and will not melt into the pasta as fully as freshly grated cheese.
Step by step photos
The first step is to place the spaghetti into a large pot of boiling, salted water. While the pasta is cooking, you can then prepare the sauce. Once the pasta is cooked, remember to reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining!
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the egg and cheese mix and set aside. I use 3 whole eggs and one yolk.
Fry the bacon or pancetta in a larger frying pan with the garlic and a little olive oil. The bacon should be crispy and lightly browned.
Now comes the time to bring everything together! After reserving one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and set it aside. The carbonara is put together in 2 steps.
- The cooked spaghetti and reserved pasta water is added to the crispy bacon, while the heat is still on. Toss or stir to coat and once everything is combined, turn the heat off. (See more notes below).
- Leave the pan for 1-2 minutes, because if the contents are too hot, the egg will scramble when it is added to the hot pasta. When you are ready, add the eggs and, working quickly, stir or toss the pasta to incorporate the egg mixture. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens, similar to a cream consistency.
Handy tips
- Take it off the heat before adding the eggs! This might be the most important step in making pasta with egg sauce. Before adding the eggs and cheese to the pasta, you must turn off the heat. If you don’t, you risk overcooking your sauce and scrambling the eggs in the pan. The residual heat from the pan and cooked pasta should be hot enough to “cook” the egg and thicken the sauce, without scrambling. Getting carbonara right can take some practice, so don’t worry if your sauce is a little lumpy the first time you try it.
- Work quickly! Adding the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta can only be done once. So make sure you have everything you need ready to go. Once you add the eggs, quickly stir or toss with tongs and keep going until the sauce thickens.
- Don’t add any extra salt while cooking! The bacon or pancetta, as well as the salty pecorino cheese and reserved pasta water all contain salt, so leave the seasoning until the end, after you’ve tasted it.
- Use room temperature eggs. This will help to keep your sauce smooth and light.
- Don’t forget to save a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta! It helps to thin out the sauce and the starch helps hold everything together.
- For creamy chicken carbonara, add some sliced chicken breast to the pan before adding the pancetta and garlic. Or stir through some shredded, pre-cooked chicken breast at the end, before serving.
Related recipes
If you love the look of this creamy bacon pasta, give these other easy pasta dishes a try!
- Prawn and chorizo pasta
- Creamy chicken pasta
- Sweet potato and halloumi pasta
- Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
If you have tried this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and let me know how you went, or send me a message.
Creamy Bacon Pasta (Carbonara – No Cream!)
Ingredients
- 350 grams fresh or dry spaghetti
- 3 fresh eggs, plus one yolk room temperature
- 1 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese or parmesan. (Around 100 grams). Grate your own fresh cheese, rather than pre-grated cheese from a packet.
- 1 1/2 cups pancetta or guanciale or bacon, diced. 300 grams weight.
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
To serve
- extra pecorino cheese shaved or finely grated
Instructions
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 4-5 litres of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the boil. Add your pasta and cook to the packet instructions, until the pasta is cooked to your preferred tenderness.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, some cracked pepper and the pecorino, until combined. Set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the pancetta (or bacon), garlic and olive oil to a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until the pancetta is crisp and lightly browned.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve one cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
- Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the pan with the cooked pancetta and stir over heat until well combined.
- Turn the heat off and let the pan sit for a minute. This step is important to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Make sure you have some tongs or a spoon handy for when you add the egg and cheese mixture.
- Working quickly, add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta and stir or toss until completely combined. The residual heat from the pan and pasta will be enough to cook the eggs, without curdling. Keep stirring or tossing until the sauce has thickened to a cream-like consistency.
- Serve immediately with some extra pecorino cheese. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Take it off the heat before adding the eggs! This might be the most important step in making pasta with egg sauce. Before adding the eggs and cheese to the pasta, you must turn off the heat. If you don’t, you risk overcooking your sauce and scrambling the eggs in the pan. The residual heat from the pan and cooked pasta should be hot enough to “cook” the egg and thicken the sauce, without scrambling. Getting carbonara right can take some practice, so don’t worry if your sauce is a little lumpy the first time you try it.
- Work quickly! Adding the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta can only be done once. So make sure you have everything you need ready to go. Once you add the eggs, quickly stir or toss with tongs and keep going until the sauce thickens.
- Don’t add any extra salt! The bacon or pancetta, as well as the salty pecorino cheese and reserved pasta water all contain salt, so leave the seasoning until the end, after you’ve tasted it.
- Use room temperature eggs. This will help to keep your sauce smooth and light.
- Don’t forget to save a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta! It helps to thin out the sauce and the starch helps hold everything together.
- For creamy chicken carbonara, add some sliced chicken breast to the pan before adding the pancetta and garlic. Or stir through some shredded, pre-cooked chicken breast at the end, before serving.
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