Creamy Carbonara
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This Creamy Carbonara recipe is a plate of heavenly, creamy pasta. Silky spaghetti with crispy pancetta in a super creamy and cheesy sauce. Simply delicious and so easy to make at home.
Creamy Carbonara
Crispy pancetta is my absolute favorite member of the vegetable food group. Wait…you mean it’s not a vegetable? Well this is Jo Cooks world, and in this world – we get 3 – 4 servings of pancetta a day. This delectable pork topper adds the perfect texture and flavor to our creamy dreamy oh so silky carbonara. This big pan of decadence pairs perfectly with a glass of Mulled Wine and a nice long nap to follow. So let’s get sizzling!
What Is Carbonara?
At its core, this Italian dish is from Rome and is super super simple. It’s made from egg, hard sharp cheese, pepper, and guanciale – a cured pork. If guanciale is a little too hard to find pancetta or bacon works in a snap. My carbonara recipe uses some cream to thicken it all up and ensure it really sticks to your ribs. Yes, I know the traditional dish doesn’t have cream in it, but that’s why this is creamy carbonara!
Ingredients In Creamy Carbonara
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Pasta – I used spaghetti for that fork twirling goodness, feel free to use any pasta you have on hand.
- Pancetta – Our key pork treat, feel free to substitute bacon if that’s what is on hand.
- Cream – I used half and half but if you’d like to cut back on calories feel free to use a lighter cream or whole milk.
- Eggs – Just the yolks! Save those whites for breakfast tomorrow morning.
- Cheese – You need a sharp hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino, today I opted for parm!
- Pepper – Just fresh ground pepper today, no need for salt!
- Basil – Fresh and chopped up fine for some fragrant garnish.
How To Make Creamy Carbonara
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the pasta: 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.
- Crisp the pancetta: Add the pancetta to a large skillet and saute over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Get saucey: Add the half and half to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce followed by the Parmesan cheese. Stir in the black pepper. Taste for salt and season if needed.
- Finish the carbonara: Add the cooked spaghetti, bacon and basil to the skillet and toss well to combine. Garnish with more cheese and serve hot!
What Else Can I Use For My Carbonara?
If you want to go as authentic as possible, nix the cream and hunt down some guanciale, which is available is most specialty Italian supermarkets. Just keep in mind that axing the cream will result in a dish that is a bit drier, hence not quite a creamy carbonara. For pasta you can also use fettuccine, rigatoni, or bucatini.
Storing Leftover Carbonara
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 – 4 days. This creamy carbonara recipe does not freeze well as the pasta can become mushy and the egg based sauce may separate upon reheating so try to make it day or week of if you’re planning on feasting!
Craving More Pasta? Try These Delicious Recipes:
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Avocado and Spinach Pasta
- Pesto Shrimp Asparagus Pasta
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Easy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- One Pot Creamy Parmesan Pasta
- Easy Pasta Alfredo
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Creamy Carbonara
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 4
This Creamy Carbonara recipe is a plate of heavenly, creamy pasta. Silky spaghetti with crispy pancetta in a super creamy and cheesy sauce. Simply delicious and so easy to make at home.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti uncooked
- 6 oz pancetta chopped
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 4 tbsp basil chopped
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Recipe Notes
Half and Half: Half and half has 12 percent fat content. Heavy cream can also be used. It is also called heavy whipping cream because it's whipping cream with a milk fat content between 36 and 40 percent.
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to refrigerate within two hours of cooking.
Nutrition: Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 721kcal (36%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 31g (62%)Fat: 43g (66%)Saturated Fat: 21g (131%)Cholesterol: 190mg (63%)Sodium: 939mg (41%)Potassium: 411mg (12%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 1000IU (20%)Vitamin C: 1.6mg (2%)Calcium: 599mg (60%)Iron: 1.7mg (9%)
Shandi Bock says
Greetings from Papua New Guinea. I made this recipe earlier tonight and it was so creamy. I actually doubled up on the ingredients as I was cooking for a crowd and everyone loved it. They don’t sell half and half here so I had to find alternatives (mixed half milk and half thickened cream) and it was still so good
Matt says
I halved the cream (but used whipping) and added half the remainder of required liquid with the pasta water, stirred that, and then continued with egg yolks and on with the rest of the recipe. It’s a little closer to traditional while still adding the cream, and for me it works great! Not a huge difference, but I thought it was tasty!
Eileen Moretti says
This was delicious. I promised I would bring some in to a couple of my coworkers, but I’m not sure about reheating it.
Jo Cooks Team says
You can reheat in the microwave! Microwave in 30 second intervals and give it a good stir between each one to make sure the sauce doesn’t break.
Mari says
It tastes amazing and super easy, thanks for the video too x
Laura F says
This was fabulous. My husband and I loved it. The sauce was creamy and delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!
Vanessa Kelly says
This recipe was fantastic, the best I have tried to date. So very creamy.
Added the white wine which I thought added that little something extra.
Using good Parmesan cheese you grate yourself is a must.
Alina Kallarackal says
My go to recipe for a creamy carbonara! Thank you!
jo says
My pleasure, glad you like it!
Lauren Dellert says
Can you omit the eggs or will it ruin the sauce? Not an egg eater.
jo says
Can’t really have carbonara without the eggs. Might want to try one of my other pasta recipes, there are many and without eggs: https://www.jocooks.com/category/ingredient/pasta/
Elephantiasis treatment says
Thank you for this best share
Cheryl says
The flavour was delicious but my sauce looked like scrambled eggs with watery cream, what am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Nicole Beaulieu says
It sounds like your sauce broke- the heat would’ve been too high. Make sure the cream just simmers, no rolling boil. You can temper the eggs by spooning and whisking a bit of hot cream in with the yolks, then pour the mixture into the skillet with the rest of the cream, whisking well. You can always start with a very low heat and slowly bring everything to a simmer to avoid breaking as well.
Michael J Bonavita says
True carbonara doesn’t have cream in it…
Joanna Cismaru says
Yep, as mentioned in the post. 🙂