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.
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.
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!
Ingredient Notes
- 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
- 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!
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.
Leftovers
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!
More Pasta Recipes To Try:
- 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
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti (uncooked)
- 6 ounce pancetta (chopped)
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, plus more for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
- 4 tablespoon basil (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
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.
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
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
So easy, the whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Yay! Thrilled to hear that everyone loved it! It’s awesome when a recipe is a hit with the whole fam. Enjoy your future meals!
This was surprisingly good. I was looking for something quick and easy to make with the ingredients I already had at home. I did use turkey bacon and add in some leftover chicken. This was amazing and was still creamy when warmed up the next day.
Turkey bacon and leftover chicken sound like fantastic additions, making it a versatile dish that works with what you have. It’s great to know that the recipe met your needs for something quick, easy, and delicious. Thank you for sharing your experience and variations! 🍝👍
Delicious recipe my daughter asked me to make for her. She LOVED it!!!
Ah, winning over the kiddos—now that’s the ultimate cooking badge of honor! 🌟 I’m thrilled your daughter LOVED the creamy carbonara. Keep up the good work, Supermom! Thanks for sharing the love!
What’s the best way to reheat ?
Reheating creamy carbonara takes a gentle touch to keep that luscious texture. I recommend warming it over low heat on the stovetop, adding a splash of cream or milk to loosen the sauce, and stirring gently until heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave it at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, and adding a bit of liquid if needed. Whether on the stovetop or in the microwave, low and slow is key to avoid curdling. A sprinkle of fresh Parmesan or parsley can add a finishing touch.
Quick, easy recipe and i had everything i needed. Definitely will add to our rotation. I made 4 servings for two of us so hoping it will reheat ok? Next time i will half the recipe.
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and found it quick and easy! Carbonara is indeed a wonderful dish to add to your rotation.
As for reheating, it can be a bit tricky with carbonara because of the egg-based sauce. It might become a little grainy when reheated. I recommend reheating it gently over low heat on the stovetop, and you can add a splash of water or milk to help bring the creaminess back. If you use a microwave, do so at a lower power and in short increments, stirring frequently.
I just made this … with a couple of changes. I added shrimp and broccoli. This is a great recipe … easier than you would think. Definitely making again.
Just curious…..when you grate the parmesan cheese can you use the big holes on a box grater, or would it be better to use a microplane grater with tiny holes? I’ve been using my microplane when a recipe calls for grated parmesan but it takes a long time to get a cup and a half (of very tiny, light fluffy shreds) but I have arthritis in my hands and I wince when I see a recipe with so much grated parmesan.
While I usually prefer a microplane for parmesan because of the light and fluffy texture it creates, arthritis can certainly make that a challenge. You can absolutely use the larger holes of a box grater to save some strain on your hands – the result will be slightly different, but still delicious!
Delicious. I would not be upset if served to me at a restaurant. Made this with half pound of bacon but otherwise exact to the recipe. Don’t care about authentic this is exactly the dish I crave when thinking Alfredo or ala Carbonara. Creamy goodness with an earthy bacon in the background. I guess I did throw a tablespoon of flour in pan and cooked a bit before adding about half a TB of butter and some bacon grease for a little roux. Then added the cream. Cream went into the pot of still steaming spaghetti, two eggs and fresh basil on top and good stir. Temp was at 162 so all was perfect.
I have made this before. So simple and delicious. Forgot to take a pic.
Love it!!
My first attempt was great, but the second time I made it there were bits of cooked yellow yolk. What did I do wrong?
Somehow I curdled the half/half cheese mixture 🤦🏻♀️
I’m sorry to hear that you experienced curdling with the half-and-half cheese mixture. This often happens if the mixture is heated too quickly or at too high of a temperature. Next time, try removing the pan from the heat before adding the half-and-half cheese mixture and ensure that your pasta is not too hot. Gently toss everything together and the residual heat should be enough to create a creamy sauce without causing curdling. I hope this helps and you’ll give the recipe another try!
Aha! Mine turned out quite grainy with chunks of yolk. When would it be best to turn off the heat as soon as the half and half simmers, and only then adding the yolks then the cheese?
Other than that, the taste was great! (I’d added some frozen peas when I poured in the half and half.)
Oh, the dreaded grainy texture! Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Yes, turning off the heat right after the half and half simmers is key. Then you can whisk in the egg yolks and cheese. This helps prevent the yolk from cooking too quickly and turning grainy. Love that you added frozen peas for a pop of color and nutrition. Keep cooking and perfecting—it’s all part of the culinary journey!
Haven’t done this yet, but planning to do it and then dehydrate it for a camping trip. I’ll be curious to see how it turns out, rehydrdated.
absolutely bangin. get on me for ur carbonara
It was delicious! I used crispy bacon.
OMG the best! I subbed bacon for pancetta and a 1/2 c of Italian cheese blend. I worried the pepper would be too much but 1/2 tsp was perfect. Took me no time at all and I got a “Hit it out of the park!” comment from picky husband. Will add to my regular line up, thank you Jo! You really have a flair with recipes (chef’s kiss).
Thanks Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it!