• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Foodle Club

  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes (date order)
  • Calculator
  • How to guides
  • Collections
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes (date order)
  • Calculator
  • How to guides
  • Collections
  • About
  • Mobile Menu

    • Facebook
  • ×
    • Overhead shot of a brown serving dish of South African beef stew with a dish of white rice and a brown wooden serving spoon.
      South African beef bredie (beef stew)
    • A white serving dish holding yellow pilau rice and a wooden serving spoon.
      How to make pilau rice
    • A spoonful of ghee held over a dish.
      How to make ghee
    • A black serving dish of Indian-style green beans with a serving spoon.
      Indian-style green beans
    • A slice of Moroccan lamb pie on a white plate with two slices of roasted butternut squash.
      Moroccan lamb pie
    • A blue and white striped serving dish filled with spaghetti in tomato sauce and topped with halloween eyeball meatballs.
      Halloween worms and eyeballs (meatballs and spaghetti)
    • A slice of butternut, leek and sausage pie on a white plate.
      Butternut, leek and sausage pie
    • A round condensed milk chocolate bundt cake covered in chocolate ganache.
      Condensed milk chocolate cake with creamy ganache
    • A jar of tomato jam with a spoonful being scooped out.
      Tomato jam
    • Microwave lemon curd in a glass jar with a spoon.
      Microwave lemon curd (2-minute recipe)
    • Three courgette and tomato puffs on a wooden board.
      Crustless courgette and tomato puffs
    • 5 stuffed mussels on a brown plate garnished with shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes.
      Stuffed mussels with rice and tomato
    Home » Recipes » Pasta recipes

    Creamy spaghetti carbonara - quick and easy recipe

    Published: Sep 29, 2020 · Modified: Nov 19, 2023 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    You only need a handful of ingredients and less than half an hour of your time to make this creamy spaghetti carbonara. It's packed with pancetta and smothered in a mouth-watering, cheesy cream and egg sauce. This is one of my favourite pasta dishes. I hope it becomes one of yours too!

    A plate of spaghetti carbonara sprinkled with black pepper.

    **As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.**

    Jump to:
    • Creamy spaghetti carbonara
    • Ingredients for spaghetti carbonara
    • How to make spaghetti carbonara
    • Variations
    • Can I freeze spaghetti carbonara?
    • Can I make this dish in advance?
    • Pin for later
    • Other pasta recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Creamy spaghetti carbonara

    This creamy spaghetti carbonara is truly one of the quickest and easiest pasta dishes I know. And yet, for all its simplicity, it is one of the tastiest pasta recipes out there.

    Carbonara is made with pieces of crispy pancetta, mixed into perfectly cooked spaghetti, and smothered in a creamy sauce of eggs, parmesan cheese, and cream.

    It's so easy, even a child could make it. All you need are the 4 main ingredients, which you probably already have in your pantry or fridge, and you can make this creamy carbonara dish in minutes. There's no need to spend time stirring a sauce. The eggs and cheese are just stirred into the hot pasta, and the heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and forms a silky sauce that coats every strand of pasta with creamy deliciousness.

    The fifth ingredient, which isn't included in a traditional carbonara recipe, is cream. I make no apologies for the fact that I've included it in this recipe (I've called it creamy spaghetti carbonara for a reason). I just like the extra creaminess that you get from using fresh cream, and you can substitute this with a little of the pasta cooking liquid if you prefer.

    A close up of spaghetti carbonara wrapped around a fork.

    Ingredients for spaghetti carbonara

    This recipe serves 4 people, but you can easily scale it up to cater for more. I've given guidelines for increasing the quantities below.

    To make this dish you will need:

    • Pasta - you can use any long pasta such as fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti. I like to use linguine. The choice is yours. Depending on appetite, for this recipe, you should allow about 1 cup of cooked pasta per person. 8 ounces of dry long pasta equals 4 cups of cooked pasta. I always add a little extra in case anyone wants seconds.
    • Pancetta - classic carbonara calls for guanciale or pancetta. For this recipe, I have used pancetta. You can use bacon if you prefer, but bear in mind that it may be quite salty, so take this into consideration when seasoning the dish.
    • Eggs - You should allow 1 whole egg per person, plus one extra egg. In case you are worried about the eggs not cooking sufficiently in this dish, I recommend using pasteurised eggs.
    • Grated Parmesan cheese - if you can get it, you could use pecorino cheese, but parmesan is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
    • Cream - you can use single cream or double cream. If you prefer you could substitute this with half and half, or even milk. If you don't want to use any cream at all you can use some of the water that the pasta was cooked in.
    • Ground black pepper - this dish benefits from lots of ground black pepper. Add this according to your own taste.
    • Salt - this is optional. I always cook my pasta in salted water, but that is to my own taste. There should be sufficient saltiness from the pancetta and cheese so that you won't need to add any additional salt to the rest of the dish.
    • Chopped parsley - for garnishing

    How to make spaghetti carbonara

    **You can find the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe for creamy spaghetti carbonara on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for the length of time indicated on the packet.

    Cut the pancetta into 1cm dice. Place it in a cold pan and then increase the heat to medium and fry the pancetta gently until the oil has been released and the pancetta is crispy. Don't drain the oil off - the oil will emulsify with the eggs, cream, and cheese in the next step to form the beautifully creamy sauce.

    Pancetta lardons frying in a pan.

    While the pancetta is frying, mix the eggs, cream, pepper, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.

    Once the pasta has cooked, use a pair of tongs and transfer the pasta directly out of the cooking water hot frying pan with the pancetta. This will take a small amount of the pasta cooking water into the pan along with the pasta. Reserve an extra cup of pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce down.

    Mix the pasta and pancetta to combine (image 2 below).

    Steps for mixing the sauce into the pasta.

    Mix in the eggs, cream and cheese

    Remove the pan from the heat, and once it has stopped sizzling, pour the egg and cheese mixture over the hot pasta and mix it through. The heat from the pasta should cook the eggs, and thicken the sauce. Work quickly, and keep stirring - you don't want the eggs to scramble!

    If you need to thin the sauce down, stir in approximately ¼ cup of pasta water.

    Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

    If you'd like to be notified of any new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? As a thank-you gift, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Variations

    You can add other ingredients to this recipe to suit your own taste. Here are a few suggestions:

    • Fry 1 cup of chopped mushrooms with the pancetta before adding the pasta.
    • Add frozen peas.
    • Chop some cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pancetta about halfway through the cooking time.
    • Crush a clove of garlic, until it is just broken, then fry with the pancetta. Remove the garlic clove once the pancetta is cooked.
    • Stir 1 or 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil through when you add the eggs, and omit the parsley.

    Can I freeze spaghetti carbonara?

    The unfortunate answer is 'no'. This dish will not reheat well as the sauce will split and become runny when defrosted.

    Can I make this dish in advance?

    Fry the pancetta ahead of time, and also cook the pasta. Store the pancetta (with its oil) and pasta separately in covered containers in the fridge. Also, store some of the pasta water in a screw-top jar.

    When you are ready to assemble the dish, place the pancetta and spaghetti in a frying pan (or large saucepan) and heat gently until piping hot. Then mix up the eggs, cheese and cream follow the recipe instructions for adding these to the dish.

    A helping of creamy spaghetti carbonara on a plate with a fork.

    Pin for later

    Why not pin this recipe for spaghetti carbonara to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Other pasta recipes

    If you like this dish, you may also like to try these other pasta dishes:

    • Seafood stuffed pasta shells
    • Pasta Pescatore
    • Turkey and ham lasagna bake
    • Cheesy garlic bread pasta bake
    • Cheesy chicken and vegetable pasta bake
    • Ham and mushroom tagliatelle with black pepper sauce
    • Mussels with pasta in a spicy tomato sauce
    • Cheesy barbeque pasta salad with tomato and onions

    📋The recipe

    A plate of spaghetti carbonara sprinkled with black pepper.

    Creamy spaghetti carbonara

    You only need a handful of ingredients and less than half an hour of your time to make this creamy spaghetti carbonara. It's packed with pancetta and smothered in a mouth-watering, cheesy cream and egg sauce.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    Italian
    Calories 788
    Prep 5 minutes minutes
    Cook 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 1 vote

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Saucepan
    • Frying Pan
    • Small mixing bowl
    • Spatula

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounce / 450 grams uncooked spaghetti or linguine
    • 4 ounce / 225grams pancetta diced
    • 5 large eggs
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
    • ½ cup single cream or half and half
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
    • chopped parsley for garnish

    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, for the time indicated on the packet.
      8 ounce / 450 grams uncooked spaghetti or linguine
    • Cut the pancetta into 1cm dice. Place it in a cold pan and then increase the heat to medium and fry the pancetta gently until the oil has been released and the pancetta is crispy. Don’t drain the oil off – the oil will emulsify with the eggs, cream, and cheese in the next step to form the beautifully creamy sauce.
      4 ounce / 225grams pancetta
    • While the pancetta is frying, mix the eggs, cream, pepper, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.
      5 large eggs, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup single cream, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • Once the pasta has cooked, use a pair of tongs and transfer the pasta directly out of the cooking water hot frying pan with the pancetta. This will take a small amount of the pasta cooking water into the pan along with the pasta. Reserve an extra cup of pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce down.
    • Mix the pasta and pancetta to combine.
    • Remove the pan from the heat, and once it has stopped sizzling, pour the egg and cheese mixture over the hot pasta and mix it through. The heat from the pasta should cook the eggs, and thicken the sauce. Work quickly, and keep stirring – you don’t want the eggs to scramble!
    • Stir approximately ¼ cup of pasta water into the spaghetti mixture to create more sauce - only if needed.
    • Garnish with chopped parsley and extra parmesan cheese (optional) and serve.
      chopped parsley

    Notes

    If preferred, you can omit the cream and use only pasta water for the sauce.  You will need approximately ½ cup pasta water.
    This dish benefits from plenty of ground black pepper.  Adjust the quantities in the recipe to your own taste.
    Variations
    • Add one cup of raw chopped mushrooms and fry with the pancetta before adding the pasta.
    • Add approximately ½ cup frozen peas to the pancetta before adding the pasta, and heat to allow them to defrost.
    • Add halved cherry tomatoes to the pancetta halfway through the cooking time.
    • Crush a clove of garlic, until it is just broken, then fry with the pancetta. Remove the garlic clove once the pancetta is cooked.
    • Stir 1 or 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil through when you add the eggs, and omit the parsley.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 788kcal | Carbohydrates - 65.6g | Protein - 45.4g | Fat - 37.6g | Saturated Fat - 13.8g | Cholesterol - 351mg | Sodium - 1542mg | Potassium - 646mg | Fiber - 0.4g | Sugar - 5g | Calcium - 213mg | Iron - 6mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

    If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!

    If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.

    More Pasta recipes

    • A selecction of dishes from a typical pasta salad bar.
      How to make a pasta salad bar
    • A piece of salmon topped with cheesy breadcrumbs being flaked with a fork.
      Salmon and asparagus gratin with buttered noodles
    • Roasted red pepper pasta with prawns in a frying pan.
      Roasted red pepper pasta with prawns
    • A plate of spaghetti with bolognese sauce and garlic bread.
      Slow-cooker bolognese sauce
    15 shares
    • Share on Facebook
    • Tweet

    About VJ

    In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

    Reader Interactions

    Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Veronica! Welcome to my little kitchen. Step inside and browse my collection of recipes collected over the years.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Sliced silverside on a plate with carrots and potatoes.
      Slow-cooker beef silverside
    • A slice of pineapple coconut cake.
      Easy pineapple coconut cake with crushed pineapple
    • An open jar of green tomato chutney.
      Easy green tomato chutney
    • A golden pan-fried fish fillet on a plate with chips and peas.
      Pan-fried fish fillets - with a light batter

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Subscribe

    • Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free recipe ebook.

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 www.foodleclub.com

    Copyright © 2023 Foodleclub.com