# Carbonara

This is an easy-to-make carbonara recipe, demonstrating that delicious pasta is simpler than you think.

- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 0.5 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- 0.5 lb rigatoni
- kosher salt
- 0.5 cup pasta water
- 2 pieces chopped bacon
- black pepper

## Instructions

1. Crack one whole egg and two egg yolks into a bowl.
2. Add about a half a cup or 2 to 3 ounces of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to the bowl and combine with the eggs.
3. Bring water to a boil and add some kosher salt to it, being mindful not to over-salt as pasta water will be used in the sauce.
4. Add a half a pound of rigatoni (or spaghetti) to the boiling water.
5. Stir the pasta in the water until it comes back up to a boil to prevent it from sticking together.
6. Cook the pasta for about 7-8 minutes, then strain it with about a minute left of cooking time.
7. Before straining, save at least a half a cup of pasta water; it is recommended to save two cups.
8. In a hot pan, add about a half a cup of your saved pasta water.
9. Add the strained pasta to the hot pan with pasta water.
10. As soon as the pasta water simmers, add about 2 to 3 pieces of chopped bacon (guanciale or pancetta are also acceptable).
11. Cut the heat and add the egg and Parmesan mixture to the pan.
12. Stir the mixture with the heat off, allowing the existing heat from the pasta and pasta water to slowly warm the eggs and create a creamy sauce.
13. Add black pepper to taste.
14. If a thinner and more velvety sauce is desired, add a little extra pasta water.
15. Add a little bit more cheese and extra bacon if desired.

## Equipment

- bowl
- stove
- hot pan

## Tips

- Pecorino is the traditional cheese, made from sheep's milk, while Parmesan is from cow's milk.
- Stir the pasta in the water until it comes back to a boil to prevent sticking.
- Save plenty of pasta water (at least half a cup, recommend two cups) to thin out the sauce if needed.
- When adding the egg and cheese mixture, cut the heat and stir with the existing heat of the pasta and pasta water to make it creamy.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17tL4Nsx6G/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/e9c95512-0d97-4a39-802d-1c4bdc43b5dc
- Extracted: 2026-02-19

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt