Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Ingredients

• 500g spaghetti
• 300g pancetta
• 80g parmesan cheese
• 1L water
• 3 eggs
• Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parsley

Step #1

Dice the pancetta

For this step, you would need chopping tools and board, and your ceramic pan, which is perfect for increased heat retention and decreased flavor absorption. Get your 300g pancetta and cut it into small blocks, but only if it is not already diced upon purchase.

Wait until the pancetta is cooked

The strong and mildly salty taste of the pancetta makes it perfect for the spaghetti carbonara. Heat the oil on a medium setting beforehand. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes for each side until it turns brown and crispy.

Reserve the excess fat

After so, transfer the cooked pancetta to a bowl. Use a slotted spoon during the process so that you can isolate the excess fat. You can reserve the fat for use later on or throw it out if you don’t feel like doing so. Set the bowl aside and proceed to the next step.

Step #2

Prepare the ingredients

The third step is the most vital procedure in making a spaghetti carbonara since if you do this part wrong, you would not be able to enjoy the dish. You would need your pot, 500g of uncooked pasta, and a liter of water.

Season the boiling water

It isn’t as simple as pouring the water on the pan and letting the pasta sit there until it is cooked. If you want a more flavorful taste, add about one full tablespoon of salt to the water before boiling it.

Boil the pasta

Now that your one liter of seasoned boiling water is ready, you can add the pasta to the mix. You would know that the spaghetti is cooked if it is already soft, but at the same time, not too mushy. In culinary terms, the ideal consistency for the pasta is al dente.

Drain the starch water

You would, of course, have to drain the water afterward. However, instead of pouring all the liquid out, reserve about half a cup of the starchy cooking water since that can be useful later on. In addition, keep in mind that you should not rinse the pasta after that.

Step #3

Get the necessary kitchen tools ready

Making the sauce for the spaghetti carbonara is perhaps the least tricky part of making the dish. For this step, you would only need a whisk, a bowl, and a cheese grater. However, if the parmesan is pre-shredded, then you would not need the latter anymore.

Mix the ingredients

All in all, you would need 80g of grated parmesan cheese for a 500g spaghetti ratio. Whisk three eggs in a bowl and add the cheese. Continue to stir the two ingredients and set the mixture aside when the desired consistency is achieved.

Step #4

Mix the pancetta and the sauce to the pasta

Get the spaghetti out of the stove and add the cooked diced pancetta and the egg and cheese sauce to the mix. While stirring the pasta, season it with salt and pepper until you reach the desired taste.

It is important that you do this part while the pasta is still hot so that the eggs from your sauce mixture can still be cooked due to the heat. You can also add the excess fat from the pancetta to the pasta for a richer flavor.

Add the starchy cooking water

This is also where you get to use the pasta water that you have reserved on the previous step. If the sauce is too thick, you can add one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency that you want.

Serve the spaghetti carbonara

Your spaghetti carbonara is pretty much ready to eat at this point. However, you can still add a finishing touch if you desire to do so. Transfer it to a plate and sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top or garnish it with freshly chopped parsley.