The Creamiest No Cream Carbonara Pasta
A super easy Italian carbonara pasta without cream – ready in 20 mins! Make this ultra creamy dish with simple ingredients - just pasta, egg, pancetta (or bacon!) and pecorino romano cheese.
Servings 4 serves
Calories 278kcal
Cost $15
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g spaghetti 10.58 oz, sub fettucine / tagliatelle
- 200 g pancetta 7 oz, sub guanciale or bacon
- 3 eggs
- 50 g pecorino romano cheese 1.76 oz / 1/2 cup, sub with parmigiano-reggiano or parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup pasta water reserved from cooking pasta
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to boil and cook your pasta following the packet directions. Stop cooking a couple of minutes before the suggested time, so it's cooked al dente. Note: The pasta will keep on cooking in the next few steps. Reserve half a cup of pasta water for later and drain the rest of the water and return the pasta to the saucepan off the heat.300 g spaghetti, 1/2 cup pasta water
- Fry up the guanciale / pancetta / bacon pieces in a large frying pan over medium heat. No added oil required! Cook for a few minutes until the pieces start to crisp up around the edges, and most of the fat has rendered out.200 g pancetta
- Pour the guanciale / pancetta / bacon pieces along with the oil straight over the cooked pasta and toss to coat.200 g pancetta
- Next, crack the eggs in a small bowl and add the grated pecorino romano cheese. Whisk until evenly blended, then pour over the pasta and toss again really well.3 eggs, 50 g pecorino romano cheese
- Finally, optional add in ONLY 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water for an extra creamy finish. Once again mix well to make sure the pasta is evenly coated, then serve immediately while hot in pre-warmed bowls. Optional - garnish with black pepper and extra pecorino romano.1/2 cup pasta water
Video
Notes
- Olive Oil - If you're using a non-fatty pork section such as middle bacon pieces, add a tablespoon of olive oil when adding the bacon into the pasta.
- Salt - We don't recommend garnishing this dish with extra salt, as there's quite a lot from the cured guanciale / pancetta / bacon.
- Test the Heat – If you’re unsure about when to add the egg mixture into the pan, you can test it by adding a splash of pasta water. When you hear no more sizzling sounds, you’re ready to add the egg mixture.
- Tiny Clumps in the Sauce? This may just be the cheese starting to melt when you first add the egg mixture to the pasta. Keep tossing the sauce through the pasta. As long as you’ve turned off the heat, you should end up with glossy carbonara sauce without scrambling the eggs.
- Storage - Best eaten immediately, but will last for 2-3 days in the fridge kept in an airtight container. We don’t recommend freezing this recipe. To reheat, do it in bursts of 30 seconds in the microwaving, thoroughly stirring each time. This will reduce the chance of heating up a big clump of scrambled carbonara!
- Herbs – Try finely chopping or blitzing fresh parsley in with the egg mixture before cooking as normal.
- Make It Your Own – Add your choice of extra ingredients like sundried tomatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms or spinach and fry along with the guanciale / pancetta / bacon.
- Protein – Try it with chicken instead of pork. If you do, you'll need to season with salt and add a little extra olive oil.
- For Something Different – Cook as normal then serve with a few slices of avocado and toasted pine nuts.
- Add Heat – Sprinkle with chilli flakes, cayenne pepper or shichimi togarashi.
- Add Umami – Add a sprinkling of dashi stock powder into the egg mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg