Spaghetti carbonara that's so quick you'd better decant the wine first

Audrey Michels

Contributing Writer

Carbonara is such an indulgent dish that it makes you feel it's worthwhile to shell out your hard-earned coin for a plate of it at a restaurant. The truth is, you can make it better, quicker and much cheaper at home. This recipe uses only five ingredients, and it might just be the creamiest pasta dish you’ll ever eat.

Serve it up with some Italian wine and maybe some leftover garlic bread, but the trick is to have everything else ready before you even start the pasta. That's because this dish is so quick to make that if you try to toast the bread or decant the wine after the pasta's finished, it will be cold and gloopy before you sit down to eat.

Cooktop Cove

Quick spaghetti carbonara

10 minutes

15 minutes

25 minutes

1 pound spaghetti

¾ cup pancetta, diced

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, until al dente.

In a skillet, gently sauté the pancetta until crispy.

While the pasta and the pancetta cook, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the two whole eggs and the two yolks with the Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper, then whisk until fully combined.

Remove the pancetta from the heat.

Remove the pasta from the water directly into the pan with the pancetta, and stir to combine fat with the pasta. Reserve the pasta water.

Once the pasta and pancetta fat are thoroughly combined, add the egg mixture, and continue to stir to emulsify. If the mixture becomes too thick, add pasta water 1/2 cup at a time to assist in emulsification and thin the sauce

If the sauce becomes too thin and watery, put the pan back on low heat and gently stir until you've reached the desired sauce consistency.

Serve immediately, garnish with more Parmesan and black pepper.

Pro tip: This dish is typically made with a cured pork product called guanciale. While this is optimal, pancetta is a great substitute. If you can't find either, use a nice bacon.

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