Pasta - Spaghetti Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is one of the easiest pasta dishes to make. This deliciously pasta dish is made with bucatini, spaghetti or fettuccine noodles, bacon or pancetta, onion, garlic, white wine, fresh parmesan cheese, eggs and a splash of cream.  
It's no secret that in our house we are huge pasta fans! Pasta is so versatile making it perfect for so many dishes. Pasta (Spaghetti) Carbonara is one of our all time favorite pasta dishes. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner or fancy enough to serve company.

I especially love this dish because it is pantry friendly, so I usually have all the ingredients on hand to make it. Add some crusty bread and you have the perfect meal. The smell alone from the bacon, onions and garlic cooking is so intoxicating, throw in the wine and you will be hooked.

In traditional Carbonara pancetta is used, but I really like using bacon instead. My kiddos are big on bacon so it's perfect. Since my kiddos were eating this dish I scaled back a bit on the wine and only added 1/8 cup. In the end it really didn't make too much of a difference because the flavor of the wine still came through.

If you have never tried Pasta Carbonara or you don't have dinner planned I highly recommend giving this recipe a try because I know you will love it. Plus I am sure you already have everything on hand to make it.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente (about 8 min). While the pasta cooks start cooking the bacon. In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon or pancetta until slightly crisp; remove bacon pieces and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat.  

To ensure a creamy sauce, mix the cream, parmesan cheese and eggs together until smooth, set aside: Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. 

Add minced garlic, and cook for one minute; Add wine and cook until everything is deglazed and all of the brown bits have been removed from the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and return cooked bacon to pan. 

Drain the spaghetti-pasta thoroughly (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water) and add hot pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Add the creamy egg mixture and stir into pasta off of the heat. Toss the pasta constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. If the mixture is to thick add a bit of the reserved pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese.




Recipe inspired by all recipes.com


33 comments

Oh yummy!! I think I know what I'm doing for dinner tonight now :) Thanks for the recipe :D
Sila Lumenn said…
That looks so good! I don't keep wine or cream on hand, so I'll have to try this one tomorrow. But, I have a feeling it will go into our regular rotation. Yum!
Lisa said…
Yippie! A recipe for which I have all of the ingredients on hand (other than fresh parsley... I'll substitute dried). I planned pasta marinara for tonight, but I think I'm making this instead.
I love pasta and bacon...add the wine and it's the perfect meal. This looks delicious!
Tina Butler said…
I used dried parsley as well. You cant go wrong with bacon, wine and cream oh my.

I could eat the whole pan of this stuff, geez it's so good.
Rebekah said…
I do something like that but I add some shredded carrots and a can of drained cannellini beans to it right before it is done. So good!
Rebekah
@ www.kidsdoeathealthy.blogspot.com
I made this tonight! I don't normally have bacon and cream in the house but had some fresh stuff I had to use up! My kids loved it and they don't normally like pasta at all. (aren't they weird?!) I'll put this along with my *special occasion* recipes :) Thanks!
Tina Butler said…
Great Jenny I am surprised myself that it is so kid friendly.
~ Mona said…
This looks great! I love pasta!
Edana said…
I think my favorite thing about carbonara is how adaptable it is--I like to throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand to make it a more well-rounded meal. I learned in Italian class that "carbonara" is "pasta with eggs, cheese and pancetta/bacon," which is great just as is or as a starting point for anything else. I've never used onions, though--I bet they'd be delicious! I should definitely try those next time. Thanks!
OK so I told you earlier I was going to have it tonight for dinner and I did :) My hubby came home a little later and he had 2 large bowls full :) Thanks for making my dinner choice so easy tonight. It was delicious!
Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes though it's not enough of a meal for The Cajun. That's okay, more for me! Looks perfect Tina.
Mmmmmm, sounds delicious - will try and let you know (without the wine) LOL
A nice spaghetti recipe, looks really good, like the textures with the bacon.
It's been a long time since I have made this and I had totally forgotten about it. Now I know what I am making tonight. Thanks for making it easy for me today!!:)
Tina Butler said…
Your welcome easy is always great. Mary once we had salad and french bread it was enough. My hubby is a meat an potatoes kind of guy so i was surprised it filled him up.

Marcia the wine burns off when it is cooked with the bacon, onions and garlic. I only used a 1/8 cup.
Wowwww!!! This look amazing! Thanks for the recipe!

The pictures make my mouth water!

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Anonymous said…
wow, i've missed a few posts, lots to catch up on--life just happens sometimes and this would be a great meal for when that happens, good job,

anne
www.anniebakes.net
jenj22 said…
can't wait to try this one tonight!!!
Jane said…
I made this tonight-- I substituted with italian sausage because I didn't have bacon, and topped it with fresh basil instead of parsley. It was great!
Aggie said…
I grew up eating carbonara, one of my favorites! haven't had it in so long! looks delicious!
Memória said…
I love spaghetti alla carbonara. I first had it in Venice, Italy and have never tasted a version better than that one. I've never seen a carbonara with cream and wine it. Interesting. I don't drink alcohol, but I wouldn't say no to cream, even if it isn't traditional.

Also, guanciale is used in traditional carbonara over pancetta. Pancetta is considered an accepted substitute for guanciale and then bacon for pancetta.

Great dish and process photos. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I love your blog.
Traci said…
I made it for dinner. My hubby loved it. He couldn't stop talking about how delicious it was.
Kitty Deschanel said…
This looks so scrumptious that I've bookmarked it! :)
Anonymous said…
Made this for dinner tonight and we really enjoyed it! Served it with a spinach salad. Pretty quick and easy, too!

Thanks for all the great looking recipe. I'm working my way through several!
Anonymous said…
Just tried this last nite ~ absolutely delicious! Have recently discovered your website and love it. Thank you!
T. Frazier ~ Massachusetts
Anonymous said…
I had this in Italy with pancetta and it's much better with bacon! Yum
Lynn said…
Looks great! Pasta and bacon, what's not to love:@)
Anonymous said…
Do you use the canned grated parm cheese in this? I want to make sure I do this right. :)
Tina Butler said…
I use the fresh parmesan cheese. I usually buy the ones in the bags at the grocery store that are already grated.
Goldie said…
I love this dish. I have made it twice and I added parmesan crusted shrimp the second time around and it was amazing. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. I love, love, love your site.
C.C. said…
I have never made carbonara. This dish sounds really good. How does the eggs set up? I've never done this and just not sure how the egg tastes.
Unknown said…
Yummmm! Making this as a special birthday dinner for my sister's 40th. Thanks for the inspiration.