Description
A restaurant-quality, authentic Italian carbonara inspired by Gordon Ramsay’s technique. This recipe uses guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper to create a creamy, silky sauce without any cream, ready in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 400g (14 oz) dry spaghetti or rigatoni
- 150g (5.3 oz) guanciale, cubed
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 100g (3.5 oz) Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
- 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, extra yolk, finely grated Pecorino Romano, and freshly cracked black pepper until it forms a thick, paste-like consistency. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed guanciale without oil. Cook slowly for about 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy. Remove the crispy pork with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining. Do not rinse the pasta.
- Turn off the heat under the skillet with the pork fat. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss quickly to coat every strand in the fat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water to create steam and cool the pan slightly.
- Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the hot pasta. Toss vigorously and continuously. The residual heat will cook the eggs gently to create a creamy sauce. Add more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Fold in the crispy guanciale. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately on warm plates with an extra crack of black pepper on top.
Notes
Do not use cream. The creaminess comes from the emulsion of eggs, cheese, and starchy pasta water. Ensure the pan is off the heat when adding the egg mixture to prevent scrambling. Use dry pasta, not fresh, as fresh pasta holds too much water. Guanciale is traditional, but pancetta or thick-cut unsmoked bacon can be substituted.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 800
- Fat: 35
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 25
Keywords: carbonara, Gordon Ramsay, pasta, guanciale, Italian recipe, easy dinner, homemade pasta, egg sauce, pecorino romano