Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe

Today the main course is a true Italian classic.

Spaghetti served with pancetta or bacon in a crea sauce enriched with eggs and Parmesan cheese. Simple to make, hard to make properly yet cheap and filling. But it feels indulgent when you eat it.

A classic of Italian cuisine.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
8 slices of pancetta or rindless smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (1/2 in) pieces
350g (12 oz) fresh or dried spaghetti
4 medium eggs
7 tbsp crème fraîche
4 tbsp freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (and more to serve)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan (this needs to be large enough to hold the pasta and the sauce), add the onion and garlic and fry gently for about 5 minutes, or until soft but not coloured.

Add the pancetta (or bacon) and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until just tender (about 4 minutes for fresh and 12 minutes for dried).

In the meantime, combine the eggs, crème fraîche and grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Season with plenty of freshly-ground black pepper and beat together thoroughly.

When the pasta has cooked drain thoroughly then turn it into the pan with the pancetta and toss well to combine. Turn the heat off under the pan and immediately pour in the egg mixture. Toss thoroughly so that the egg cooks lightly and coats the pasta strands.

Adjust the seasoning to taste then divide the pasta between four warmed bowls. Sprinkle these liberally with black pepper. Serve immediately, accompanied by a bowl of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

For more information about pasta and more pasta-based recipes, why not visit the Celtnet pasta recipes and information page?