This easy carbonara recipe has just 5 ingredients is as simple as cooking pasta and bacon. Your meal will be from fridge to table in less than 20 minutes.
Carbonara is possibly one of the most famous of the Italian dishes (well, maybe close behind the Bolognese).
The reason it's so popular is probably because of how quick and easy it is to make.
From when you start cooking, you can have dinner on your table in less than 20 minutes!
For the full list of ingredients and printable instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. But, before you scroll straight there, take a look at the more detailed "how to" just below.
You don't just have to use spaghetti for carbonara. Any fresh or dried pasta will work well and will hold the creamy carbonara sauce.
We prefer to use bacon when we make carbonara.
However, you could choose to use pancetta, if your budget can stretch, or offcuts of a gammon joint.
Serve your carbonara with garlic bread and a side salad. But, consider adding cook broccoli stems, or peas, into your carbonara. The green colour looks delicious in the pasta sauce, and it helps you get one of your five a day 🙂
How to make carbonara sauce
The strange thing with carbonara sauce is that you don't really make it!
Yes, you need to mix up the raw eggs, but there is no cooking involved to make the carbonara sauce itself - which is why it's so easy 🙂
Using the heat from the pasta, the carbonara sauce will cook on its own.
It's really important to trust that this will happen.
When you've finished cooking the bacon and pasta, remove it from the heat.
If you don't do this, you will end up having scrambled eggs, instead of having a deliciously rich and creamy carbonara sauce.
Easy carbonara
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 4 eggs 52p (13p each)
- 100 ml double cream 32p, 0.32/100ml
- 50 g parmesan plus a little extra for on top if required 5p, 10p/100g
- 300 g bacon sliced £1.25, £4.17/kg
- 3 garlic cloves crushed 9p, 3p/bulb
- 500 g pasta 20p, 40p/kg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, then add the cream, parmesan and pepper. Whisk with a fork and set to one side.
- Start to cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet and cook ¾ of the way, until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Sautee the bacon for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, add to the bacon and garlic, stir through and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the egg/cream sauce.
- Serve immediately, top off with parmesan and enjoy with garlic bread.
Glen
Make it cheaper by leaving out the cream wich you do not need, if the egg mix is a little thick coating the pasta just add a little pasta water