Easy spaghetti carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara is a super quick and easy pasta dish that's perfect for weeknight meals or special occasions. Ellis Barrie shows you how to make a silky, rich carbonara in 10 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp and slightly browned. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8–10 minutes, until firm but slightly chewy (al dente).
While the spaghetti is cooking, beat together the eggs and Parmesan with a fork. If it's a little thick, add some milk. Season well with salt and pepper.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain over a bowl, reserving some of the cooking water.
Place the frying pan with the pancetta in back over a medium–low heat. Add the drained spaghetti and egg mixture and stir thoroughly so all the spaghetti is coated in the sauce. Add 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to loosen, if necessary. Serve immediately on hot plates with grated Parmesan on top.
Recipe Tips
If you don't have pancetta, you can use smoked bacon lardons instead.
The steaming hot spaghetti will cook the carbonara sauce as you mix it together in the frying pan, so take care not to overcook it at this stage as the eggs will scramble and the texture of the sauce won't be quite as smooth.