Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

pasta carbonara

(2 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Marie E
Lloydminster, AB

When I was an Au Pair in France, the mother's side of the family was Italian, and so I learned how to make a lot of Italian pasta dishes. I learned this while I was there.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Pasta carbonara is decadent and made with basic ingredients. Once you get the hang of it, this is an easy-to-make pasta dinner. It would be a wonderful meal for Christmas Eve, Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or any special occasion. The bits of bacon not only add a smoky flavor, but they also add texture. We used traditional spaghetti as the pasta, but bucatini, fettuccine, or linguine can also be used. While this recipe doesn't, other pasta carbonara recipes use Parmesan cheese. Feel free to grate fresh Parmesan over the cooked pasta. We added some, along with fresh pepper, when serving.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 2 -4
prep time 15 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For pasta carbonara

  • 1/2 lb
    lardons (bacon ends or just bacon chopped up)
  • 1 sm
    onion, finely chopped
  • 2 - 3 Tbsp
    thick or heavy cream (the amount was always to taste when I was taught to make this)
  • 1 lg
    egg yolk
  • 12 - 16 oz
    pasta, any kind

How To Make pasta carbonara

  • Frying bacon and onions.
    1
    Fry bacon and onions. Once the bacon is cooked and the onion is tender, remove from heat and reserve.
  • Boiling spaghetti.
    2
    Boil salted water. Then add the pasta. Boil until pasta is at your desired tenderness.
  • Egg yolk and cream in a bowl.
    3
    In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and cream.
  • Cooked spaghetti mixed with bacon and onions.
    4
    Add drained pasta to the reserved bacon and onions. Mix together.
  • Mixing the egg cream into the hot pasta.
    5
    Working quickly, add the egg yolk to the hot pasta with the bacon bits and onion. Toss together well. You want to work quickly so the pasta will cook the egg yolk. Salt and pepper, as desired.
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