The Best Spaghetti Carbonara Sauce Recipe

This post is sponsored by Brandless. All opinions are my own.

You know those days where you want a quick and easy dinner where you can grab a couple of ingredients from your fridge and panty and everyone is fed? That’s when I start to boil some pasta water and get this spaghetti carbonara sauce started.

Like you, I find myself trying to figure out what to make for dinner on nights where I should be more prepared; but luckily, I have this one-pan recipe to save the day and feed my hungry family.

While written instructions are helpful, I figured you’d want to see this one-pan meal in action in a video.

https://youtu.be/GH9ufeetdfI

In the video, I used my Brandless 5-Ply Stainless Steel Pan. It’s the perfect size for mid-week skillet meals. It distributes heat evenly so all my ingredients cook at the same time; making it perfect to make my spaghetti carbonara sauce.

What is Carbonara Sauce?

Carbonara sauce is made with bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. To thin it out, you use pasta water and it magically turns into a sauce as you toss it around with the cooked pasta

While it might sound like a luxurious dinner, I assure you that it’s not! I mean, bacon, eggs, and cheese? Basic and also delicious which why it’s one meal my entire family will eat.

What Does Carbonara Sauce Taste Like?

The carbonara sauce has the texture of a creamy Parmesan-y, silky rich sauce without having that heavy feel of cream sauces after you eat it.

The egg yolks give the sauce it’s velvety texture and rich taste, but don’t worry, the yolks cook from the heat of the pasta and bacon, so it’s 100% safe to eat. And just for the record, anything dish made with bacon is divine. 

Plus, one advantage of using my stainless steel pan from Brandless is that as the bacon cooks, it leaves some bits at the bottom that perfectly dissolve right into the Parmesan sauce as it melts.

Carbonara Sauce Ingredients

Carbonara sauce is made with your most basic kitchen staples- another reason this mama loves this recipe! Here’s everything you’ll need: 

• Dried spaghetti
• Bacon
• Garlic
• Yellow onion
• Eggs
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper

How to Make Carbonara Sauce

You owe it to yourself and your family to make this dish because it’s hard to mess it up! Plus, don’t you want to pass up the satisfaction of creating a sauce that tastes like it was served at a fancy Italian restaurant with the ease of whipping it up in minutes on your stainless steel pan!

1. Boil the pasta

Cook the pasta according to package directions, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Don’t. Skip. This. Step.

2. Cook your bacon

In a large stainless steel skillet, brown the bacon until it the edges start to curl up and you see those magical tidbits begin to form at the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the onions and garlic

To the bacon drippings (yes! you want those) add the chopped onions and garlic. Sauté until golden and soft. By now, your kitchen should be intoxicated with the aroma of bacon. 

4. Whisk it

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and parmesan cheese with salt and pepper until completely smooth. 

5. Add the pasta to the pan.

Now that your bacon and onions are ready, add your cooked pasta to the pan and toss to combine. One that’s done, remove it from the heat.

6. Whisk your Parmesan and Egg mixture.

It’s time to make the main part of your sauce by combining your Parmesan and egg.

Once that’s done, add it to the pan, and working quickly, toss to combine.

7. Add Pasta Water

While stirring the egg and Parmesan mixture with the pasta, add a little of the pasta water at a time until a smooth, light sauce forms.

8. Dish up!

Only thing left is to grab a bowl/plate, dish up, and dig into the wonders of carbonara! If you want to be extra, top with more cheese and chopped parsley. 

Perfect Carbonara Sauce Cooking Tips 

As simple as the ingredients are, carbonara sauce is all about technique! But don’t sweat it, just follow the recipe and these tips and your pasta carbonara will be #perfection. 

Start with room temperature eggs

A couple of hours before you cook, remove the eggs from the fridge and set them out on the counter. Room temp eggs create a smooth, light sauce and there’s less chance of them scrambling.

Make Sure the Eggs Don’t Scramble in the sauce

Adding the egg and cheese mixture can be the trickiest part of carbonara sauce. If done wrong, you’ll end up with a pan full of frazzled pasta and scrambled eggs. To avoid that monstrosity, be sure to remove the pan from heat before adding the egg and cheese mixture. 

The eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta into a delicate, buttery sauce. Mission accomplished!

Swap bacon with pancetta

Some people swear by pancetta while others go for the bacon. Pancetta which is a much smokier, meatier form of bacon but I prefer the latter since it’s always in my fridge and easier to find at the local grocery. Just know that both are delicious and you need one or the other for pasta carbonara. 

The Best Pan to make Carbonara Sauce

A good, sturdy pan is just as important as following recipe instructions. The 5-Ply Stainless Steel Pan from Brandless distributes the heat evenly, making it a one-pan wonder for everything from his pasta carbonara to eggs, to stir-fry, and perfectly seared pork chops. 

It also comes with a lid and can be placed in the oven for recipes like Shakshuka or frittatas. 

How to Serve Carbonara Sauce

While you might want to eat your spaghetti carbonara right out of the pan and wipe it clean with some soft-in-the-middle and crusty-on-the-outside garlic bread, the best way to serve the spaghetti carbonara sauce is in a bowl topped with additional Parmesan cheese!

Although your Brandless 5-Ply Stainless Steel Pan is a breeze to clean in the dishwasher, you can still take your bread and wipe it clean -I hear it’s the best way to get the cleanup started.

Check out Brandless’ new line of Cookware here.