American Carbonara – The Stay At Home Chef

This no-fuss twist on a classic Italian dish will give you a reason to make pasta! My favorite thing about this recipe is not only how easy it is to make, but that it’s made with simple and affordable ingredients. Trust me, this will soon become one of your go-to pastas.

For more carbonara recipes, try our Chicken Carbonara or our Authentic Pasta Carbonara.

Carbonara is one of my favorite pastas. The velvety egg and cheese sauce, the crispy bacon—it’s everything I want in a pasta dish. In this American version, we use bacon instead of the traditional pancetta since it is far more accessible (and affordable) in the United States. We also add frozen peas, which come out really bright and fresh for a pop of sweetness. There’s no need to thaw, just throw them right in!

Ingredient Notes

• Spaghetti: Just use from the box. Cook to al dente, tender but firm.
• Bacon: Just your standard, thin-sliced bacon will do. If you want to beef it up, you can use thick-cut bacon.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic provides the best flavor, but jarred minced garlic does work too. Jarred just has a less sweet, slightly more bitter flavor.
• Eggs: You’ll want large grade AA eggs for this recipe. You’ll use a combination of egg yolks and whole eggs for the perfect silky smooth sauce.
• Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan always melts the best.
• Frozen Peas: No need to thaw; they’ll heat through quickly in the sauce.

Pasta Options

Spaghetti is the traditional choice for pasta in a carbonara, however, you don’t need to feel tied to that. You could use almost any long, skinny pasta shape. Other favorites are linguine, fettuccine, and bucatini.

Add More Veggies

You can easily add more veggies to this pasta dish to beef it up a bit and get in those greens! Asparagus, broccoli, and green beans are all great options that pair well with peas.

Pasta Water

Pasta water is the secret weapon when combining pasta and cheese. The starch that’s pulled from the pasta during the cooking process emulsifies (binds) the ingredients together, creating a smooth sauce. No clumpy cheese here. You can always use a little more pasta water to adjust the thickness of your sauce as needed.

Wait until the last minute to get your pasta water so that the water is full of starch. Dip the edge of a glass 2-cup measuring cup into the pot of pasta water and fill the cup, making sure you get at least 1 1/2 cups. Then, you can go ahead and drain your pasta.