Best Comforting Pasta Carbonara Recipes

THE BEST CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Whisk together the eggs, yolks, Parmesan, Pecorino, pepper and butter if using in a large bowl until well combined.
• Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the spaghetti and half the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet and toss to combine.
• Add the egg mixture and toss to coat. Cook, tossing continuously to avoid scrambling the eggs, until the sauce is creamy, thinning it with the remaining pasta water if it becomes too thick (it should be saucy but not watery), about 1 minute.
• Divide the pasta among plates and sprinkle with more grated Parmesan.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook until it is browned and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and keep warm.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, cheese, and pepper until uniform. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with water and add enough salt so the water tastes like seawater. Bring the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
• Drain the pasta, transfer to the bowl with the egg mixture and add the pancetta, along with all the fat from the pan. Toss the pasta with the egg-cheese mixture and the pancetta until the eggs are cooked and the pasta is coated and creamy, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

SPRING GREEN SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water with 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve a cup of the pasta water, then add the snow peas, fresh peas, and asparagus to the spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes longer. Drain the pasta and vegetables together.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium (10 to 11-inch) sauté pan over medium heat, add the pancetta, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
• While the pancetta cooks, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water and set aside to heat the bowl. Just before you drain the pasta, pour the water out of the bowl. Put the cream, eggs, egg yolks, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water into the bowl and whisk to combine. Immediately, add the hot pasta and vegetables and toss with tongs for a full minute or two, until the pasta absorbs the sauce. Add enough reserved hot pasta water to keep the sauce creamy. Add the 3/4 cup Parmesan, the scallions, chives, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well. Add the pancetta, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot sprinkled with extra chives and Parmesan.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
• Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

CREAMY CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the pancetta to a large skillet and saute over medium-low heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Add the half and half to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Stir in the black pepper. Taste for salt and season if needed. I find no salt is needed since the cheese adds plenty of saltiness.
• Add the cooked spaghetti, bacon and basil to the skillet and toss well to combine.
• Garnish with more Parmesan cheese if desired and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Steps:

• Place a large pot of lightly salted water (no more than 1 tablespoon salt) over high heat, and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with hot water for serving, and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and pecorino and Parmesan. Season with a pinch of salt and generous black pepper.
• Set the water to boil. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork, and sauté until the fat just renders, on the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat guanciale in skillet, if needed. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir for a minute or so.
• Empty serving bowl of hot water. Dry it and add hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture, adding some reserved pasta water if needed for creaminess. Serve immediately, dressing it with a bit of additional grated pecorino and pepper.

PASTA CARBONARA I

Steps:

• Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• In medium bowl beat together eggs and cream just until blended. Stir in cheese and set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan. Toss with butter until it is melted. Add bacon and cheese mixture and toss gently until mixed.

COMFORTING PASTA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Heat a large sauté pan, until hot. Add pancetta and sauté until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, remove pan from heat.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Season with pepper. Stir in 1 cup of Parmesan, reserving ¼ cup for garnish.
• In a large pot, boil 6 quarts of salted boiling water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse with water; you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will stick. While the pasta is still hot, return it back to the pot.
• Add the browned pancetta and mix well.
• Add the cream mixture and coat the pasta completely.
• It's important to work quickly while the pasta is still warm so that the cream mixture will cook, but not curdle.
• Add remaining Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately as the pasta will absorb the sauce and the dish will become dry as it cools.
• Please note: Carbonara sauce is meant to be used on a Penne style pasta or a spaghetti so the sauce coats the pasta. One reviewer used a corkscrew/rotini style pasta causing the sauce to become trapped in the spirals and the pasta was dry. Also to the same reviewer most Carbonara dishes are very a simple sauce and do not add garlic or mushrooms.