Delicious Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Spaghetti carbonara is a typical Italian dish. It is a recipe that originally comes from Lazio, the region in which the capital Rome is located. In this article we give you a traditional recipe for the most delicious spaghetti carbonara.

There are several hypotheses about how this dish got its name. However, the most common theory is that it has to do with the black color of the pepper; it resembles that of charcoal. The black pepper that is added to this paste resembles small specks of charcoal.

There are many different recipes for spaghetti carbonara. However, the vast majority are completely different from the traditional version. You may be surprised to learn that the original version doesn’t use whipped cream, garlic, or onions. That is the Spanish or American way of making the dish.

We give you the traditional recipe below, with cured pork  as the main ingredient.

The traditional recipe for spaghetti carbonara

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

• Water
• salted pork
• 2 medium eggs
• Black pepper and salt
• 250 grams of spaghetti
• Olive oil (as desired)
• 75 grams grated Pecorino cheese
• 75 grams grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley (to taste, as garnish)

Preparation

• Lightly grease a pan with olive oil. Preheat over medium heat.
• Then put a pan of water on the stove and bring to the boil with 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt (to taste).

• Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Let it cook until it is ‘al dente’. Remember to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick to the pan.
• While the pasta is cooking, remove the fat from the cured pork. Then cut the meat into small cubes.
• Fry the meat in a pan, for 2 to 3 minutes. Then set it aside on a plate.
• Break the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. For the carbonara you only need two beaten yolks.
• Then add the cheese to the beaten yolks and mix until you get a thick mixture. It is important that you do not leave the mixture for too long, so keep stirring every now and then!

• Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking liquid (about a quarter cup is enough).
• Then add the meat to the spaghetti and mix all ingredients well.
• Then add the cooking liquid and the mix of the eggs and cheese. Stir everything together well.
• Finally, grind a little black pepper over the spaghetti. The more pepper you add to the dish, the more authentic the taste will be.

The Spanish-American version of the spaghetti carbonara

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

• 100 grams bacon
• 2 medium eggs
• 60 ml whipped cream
• 250 grams of spaghetti
• 45 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil (as desired)
• Black pepper (freshly ground) and salt

Preparation

• As in the previous spaghetti carbonara recipe, you need to cook the spaghetti first. Make sure to stir the pan regularly so that the spaghetti doesn’t stick to the pan!
• Remove the fat from the bacon and then cut the meat into small cubes. Then fry them in a generous amount of olive oil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork until the whites and yolks are completely mixed. 
• Then mix in the whipped cream and set the bowl aside.
• Drain the spaghetti. Place the pasta on a plate and immediately mix in the beaten eggs, cream and Parmesan cheese. In this way, the three ingredients are well mixed together, and you get a compact dish.

Some final tips

Don’t have both the cheeses (Parmesan and Pecorino) from the traditional dish at home? Then it is fine to only use Parmesan cheese or another young matured cheese. This will not greatly affect the taste of the dish.

There are people who prefer to use the whole egg for the sauce. That’s no problem: it’s not necessarily necessary to remove the protein. After all, each person has his or her own technique, tailored to his or her preferences.

Important: To avoid food poisoning, eat the dish on the day you made it.

Finally, some tips about the meat. Remember that the traditional spaghetti carbonara recipe is made with cured pork, instead of bacon. In the American version, however, bacon is a commonly used ingredient.

Avoid using the pre-cut bacon strips that you can buy in the supermarket. Even though they may taste delicious, they don’t have the same firmness as the cubes you can cut yourself at home.