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Italian · Pasta

Carbonara, No Cream

Egg, cheese and pasta water make the sauce. Cream is what people add when they scramble it.

Prep10 min
Cook15 min
YieldServes 2
LevelMedium

Everything about carbonara comes down to temperature. The egg has to thicken and never set, which means the pan comes off the heat before the eggs go anywhere near it. Do that one thing and it works every time.

Everything you need

Serves 2 · 6 items
  • 200 g spaghetti
  • 120 g guanciale or pancetta, cut into thick batons
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 cup (80 g) pecorino romano, finely grated
  • 2 tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked

Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.

Method

6 steps · 25 minutes 0 of 6 done

  1. Put the guanciale in a cold pan and bring it up to medium. Let the fat render out slowly for 8 minutes until the meat is crisp and there is a pool of clear fat.

    For this step

    • 120 g guanciale or pancetta

  2. Boil the spaghetti in well salted water until just short of al dente. Save a big mug of the cooking water before you drain.

    For this step

    • 200 g spaghetti

  3. Beat the yolks, whole egg, most of the pecorino and all the pepper into a thick paste in a bowl.

    For this step

    • 3 egg yolks
    • 1 cup (80 g) pecorino romano
    • 2 tsp black pepper

  4. Take the pan off the heat entirely and wait 30 seconds. Add the drained pasta and toss it through the fat.

  5. Pour in the egg mixture and a splash of pasta water and stir hard and constantly. It will look thin, then suddenly turn creamy and cling.

  6. Loosen with more pasta water if it tightens, and serve with the last of the cheese and more pepper.

    For this step

    • 2 tsp black pepper

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Worth knowing

  • If the pan is too hot you get sweet scrambled egg on spaghetti. Off the heat, always, and keep stirring.
  • The starchy pasta water is the emulsifier. Plain water will not do the same job.
780kcal
36gProtein
76gCarbs
36gFat

Nutrition: estimated from typical ingredient values, not laboratory tested. Check the labels on what you actually buy.

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More to cook

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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.

Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.