Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe

TL;DR

John Canal makes pasta carbonara using bacon, egg yolks, and parmesan in a starchy pasta-water sauce for a creamy, no-cream result.

Key Points

• 1.Salt your pasta water heavily and cook 12 oz spaghetti al dente. Water should taste like the ocean; cook spaghetti roughly 10 minutes, then reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining.
• 2.The sauce base is one egg, three yolks, one cup finely grated parm or pecorino romano, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Use freshly grated cheese — pre-grated varieties contain cellulose (wood pulp) that prevents proper melting.
• 3.Render 12 oz thick-cut bacon over medium heat until crispy with no added oil. Guanciale or pancetta are traditional substitutes; the rendered fat becomes the silky backbone of the sauce.
• 4.Carbonara originated in the 1940s from U.S. Army rations, not ancient Italian tradition. Renato Gualandi is credited with combining American eggs and bacon with pasta to create the dish.