I had never had carbonara until I found myself in its hometown, Rome, in 2014. I ordered it for dinner on a school-sanctioned trip during the semester I lived in Florence, my senior year of college. After one bite, my ignorant American student brain went, “bacon, egg, and cheese pasta? What absolute genius invented this?” It felt like I’d just uncovered a delightfully salty secret. Of course, I now know I was simply missing out on a beloved Italian classic for the first 21 years of my life.
Upon my return to the U.S., I wanted to make authentic spaghetti carbonara at home. That turned out to be quite the challenge, even though the dish is simple. Classic carbonara is made with guanciale—cured meat from the fatty cheeks of a pig. It’s tough to find in America, partially due to a longtime, but now-lifted ban on imported Italian meat, and also because America has such a love affair with guanciale’s distant cousin, bacon. The other key ingredient in carbonara is pecorino romano cheese, which is less of a rarity in the U.S., but can get pricey compared to its more popular cousin, parmesan.
Since I couldn’t easily or cheaply find the classic ingredients for carbonara, I started making it with bacon and parmesan cheese instead. It’s not quite authentic, but it’s still pretty damn delicious. This is a go-to when I can’t decide what to make for dinner, or my fridge is looking a bit empty. It comes together quickly, too.
You will need:
1 lb. spaghetti
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1c grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves of garlic
4-5 strips bacon
The thicker, the better
Also the fattier and saltier the better. Remember, we’re trying to imitate an even more intense cured pork
1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to finish
Salt for pasta water
Fresh, chopped parsley to garnish
The Cooking
Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt before you drop in the spaghetti. I’ll remind you again later but it’s worth multiple mentions: save about 1c of your pasta water before you drain the noodles.
While the water is heating up, dice up your strips of bacon. Then, smash the whole garlic cloves with the side of your knife. No need to mince the garlic. Heat up a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat and toss in the bacon chunks. Once the bacon releases some fat, drop in the garlic cloves. Stir until the edges of the bacon are crispy and the garlic cloves have released their flavor into the meat. Remove the garlic and toss it. Then, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel. Don’t pour out all the bacon fat; save enough to coat the bottom of the skillet and set the pan aside.
Now, put the eggs and egg yolk in a small mixing bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the parmesan and black pepper and mix again.
The End is the Trickiest Part
This is your reminder that before you drain the pasta, you need to save about 1c of the water. Pasta water is a magical, starchy elixir that helps sauce stick to noodles. In this case, it’s also going to turn your egg mixture into a sauce without scrambling the eggs. Here’s the order of events once the pasta is strained:
Plop the pasta into the still-a-bit-greasy skillet
Bacon bits go on top of the pasta
Egg mixture layered on next
Then pour about half the pasta water over everything and mix quickly. Again, this turns the egg mixture into a sauce instead of scrambled eggs. Add more of the pasta water as you stir until all the noodles are coated and the sauce becomes creamy. You may not need the entire cup. Trust your judgement.
Serve carbonara with more black pepper, grated parmesan, and fresh parsley on top.