Italian · Free recipe
Silky Spaghetti Carbonara
Crisp nuggets of guanciale, a sauce of whole eggs, yolks and pecorino, and a torrent of black pepper: that is the whole list. The trick is tossing everything off the heat with starchy pasta water, so the eggs turn glossy and clingy instead of scrambling.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it lightly, since the pecorino and guanciale are already salty.
-
Meanwhile, cook the guanciale in a large cold skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat renders and the edges turn crisp and golden; turn off the heat and leave it in the pan.
-
Whisk the yolks, whole eggs, pecorino, Parmesan and pepper in a bowl until it forms a thick, pale paste.
-
Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than the package time, and scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water before draining.
-
Add the spaghetti to the skillet with the guanciale and toss for 30 seconds over low heat to coat it in the fat, then pull the pan off the burner and wait about 1 minute.
-
Whisk 1/4 cup of hot pasta water into the egg mixture to temper it, then pour it over the pasta and toss vigorously with tongs, adding splashes of water until the sauce is creamy and coats every strand.
-
Serve immediately with extra pecorino and another crack of pepper.
Zest note from the test kitchen
If the sauce looks thin, keep tossing rather than returning it to the flame; the residual heat of the pan will thicken it in seconds without curdling the eggs.
