Ahhh creamy carbonara! It’s the original poor man’s pasta with its bare bones ingredient list and rich, belly satisfying flavor. But, as times change so do the availability and prices of ingredients. The once inexpensive guanciale (pork) and Pecorino Romano cheeses that made this pasta so scrumptious are not as readily available or affordable in modern day America as they may have been when and where this dish originated. So, today, we’re making a modern day budget-friendly version of Spaghetti Carbonara that is every bit as creamy, delicious, and weeknight friendly as the original, but a little less heavy and a lot more accessible for American cooks.
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What is Spaghetti Carbonara?
Spaghetti Carbonara is the epitome of simple, satisfying pasta dishes. It’s just spaghetti, pork (guanciale, but I use bacon), egg, cheese, and freshly cracked pepper. The creamy egg yolk and cheese form a super velvety luxurious sauce that lightly coats the pasta, and that’s about all you need in life.
Can I Use a Different Kind of Pasta?
Absolutely! This simple comfort food can be made with whatever shape pasta you happen to have floating around in your pantry. The idea here is that it’s fast, easy, cheap, and delicious. No one is watching to make sure you use the “correct” type of pasta. Just go with it! :)
Use Ingredients Wisely to Keep Costs in Check!
I used only a small amount of bacon in my carbonara to keep prices low and make the dish a little lighter (because honestly, I sit at a desk all day). Luckily, bacon has such a strong flavor that it still permeates throughout the dish. Good Pecorino Romano can be pretty expensive, so I used the grated Parmesan that I have on hand. But it’s true, the better the cheese you use for this dish the better the end product will be, so if you can spring for a wedge of Parmesan, go for it! But by all means, don’t use a “Parmesan topping” or something that is blended with fillers. No ma’am.
Variations on Classic Carbonara
There’s a lot of room for personal interpretation with spaghetti carbonara, so it’s a great staple recipe to learn and know. One of the easiest ways is to add your favorite vegetable. Peas, asparagus, or roasted cauliflower are all great options! If you have a favorite spin on carbonara, I’d love to hear it! Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know how you like yours. :)
Spaghetti Carbonara
Servings 4Ingredients
- 3 oz. bacon ($0.88)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 12 oz. spaghetti ($0.66)
- 3 large eggs ($0.92)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan ($1.44)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.10)
- Salt to taste ($0.05)
- Handful fresh parsley (optional) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and season with salt. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat.
- While waiting for the water to boil, cut the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet, then turn the heat down to low. Mince two cloves of garlic, add them to the warm skillet, and sauté for about one minute or until fragrant and softened, then turn off the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and a generous dose of freshly cracked pepper.
- The water should be boiling at this point, so add the pasta, stir well, and continue to boil the pasta until al dente. Reserve one cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet that was used to cook the bacon. Stir the warm water in the skillet and dissolve the browned bits from the surface of the skillet. Add the steaming hot drained pasta to the skillet and toss in the bacon liquid in the skillet.
- Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the hot pasta and immediately begin to stir or toss the pasta. Continue to stir the hot pasta in the egg mixture until a creamy sauce forms. Add the remaining Parmesan, a little more freshly cracked pepper, and the reserved bacon bits, and toss again. If the pasta becomes too thick or dry, add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
- Finally, taste the pasta and adjust the salt, Parmesan, or pepper if needed. Top with a pinch or two of roughly chopped parsley leaves.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Pasta and parmesan never gets old! Check out my Spicy Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage, Bowties and Broccoli, or Parmesan and Pepper Kale Pasta.
How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara – Step by Step Photos
To make this recipe a little more affordable, I’m using bacon (a small amount) instead of guanciale or pancetta. I only used 3oz., or 1/4 of this 12oz. package. I like to cut my bacon packages into quarters and then freeze the rest. That way I can grab out 1/4 at a time to use as needed.
Cut the bacon into smaller pieces, then brown the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Remove the bacon from the skillet, then turn the heat down to low and add two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about one minute, or just until it loses its raw edge. Then turn the heat off.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Stir the pasta, then continue to boil until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
While you’re waiting for the pasta to cook, whisk together 3 large eggs, about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and a hefty dose of freshly cracked pepper.
Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet that was used to cook the bacon. Stir the hot cooking water to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Toss the drained (but still steaming hot) pasta in the skillet with the bacon water.
Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the hot pasta. Immediately begin stirring or tossing the hot pasta to distribute the egg mixture and prevent it from curdling. Stir until a creamy sauce forms (this happens quickly).
Finally, add the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and more pepper. Toss the pasta until the Parmesan melts into the sauce.
See that creamy sauce on the bottom? MMmmmm
To finish the pasta, just give it a taste and add salt, pepper, or Parmesan if needed.
Top with a little fresh parsley, if you like a lil’ green with your creamy dreamy pasta.
Fork yeah, carbonara!
Amazingly easy and a big hit with my teenagers! Mine came out a bit dry and sticky rather than creamy and I wonder if adding another egg yolk would solve that. I see eggs PLUS yolk(s) in other recipes.
I just made this & it was amazing!! I substituted a ham steak for bacon because that’s what I had, & threw in some brussels sprouts that were on their last legs. I love recipes you can improvise with!!
Delish! I was worried I’d scramble the eggs when I added them to the hot pasta, but had no problems at all. It’s always great to have another quick and easy recipe for dinner, so thanks for this one!
This is a staple in our house!! My ten year old loves it!! We all do. You never disappoint Beth 🥰
Will this work without the cheese? Dairy allergy :(
No, that’s half of what makes a carbonara a carbonara. :(
Such an easy and satisfying pantry dinner. For 1lb pasta (which is what comes in the box and gives us left overs) I increased the bacon to 6 oz, the garlic to 4 cloves, the pasta water to 1/3-1/2 cup, and added a cup of frozen peas. For us this makes two healthy dinner bowls and two smaller leftover bowls for lunch the next day.
I have a friend who is Allergic to tomatoes. Whenever I make a tomato sauce meal I have to think what I can make for her. I Usually make Linguini & clam sauce. I know she loves bacon and pork so this is a great idea you gave me. Thanks for all the suggestive ways I can make it ( with veggies) 👍
I love ordering carbonara at restaurants but this one seemed a little different. It was tasty but not a favorite. It was pretty cool seeing the egg and Parmesan mixture create a sauce tho!
I have had it pointed it out to me that “classic” or “authentic” carbonara has no garlic. My response was “Get off my boat!” “But we’re 600 miles offshore.” “Then eat what I put in front of you.” *grin* I’ll try your idea of peas. I like the idea of chicken one commenter suggested.
When I’m really cranky I point out that tomatoes were not introduced to Italy until the sixteenth century so nothing with tomato is really authentic Italian, so they should plan on skipping my lasagna for dinner tomorrow.
I made this with turkey bacon and grated Parmesan cheese. The sauce was so creamy. Delish!!
Did you drain the bacon? I did, and mine didn’t seem to have unchecked flavor. Should I have kept the grease?
Yes you can saute the garlic in the bacon grease. You can drain it some but not all.
Absolute hit!! I was so intimidated by carbonara, and this made it so easy. I will make this all the time now that Beth taught me how simple it is. I agree with the reviewer that said this might be the best pasta they’ve ever had. I will add a little extra bacon next time, because those bites are the best.
This makes us so happy to hear Vee!! Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work!
I’m so excited for a new quick and cheap dinner option! Do you use fresh grated parmesan or the pre-grated shaker can kind?
I just used the shaker kind. Fresh always works better for dishes like this, but it’s quite a bit more expensive.
What veggies would you add to this to add more volume with less calories? Like i was thinking spinach and onions but I don’t really know. Any thoughts?
I’ve seen people add all sorts of vegetables to carbonara, like asparagus or even roasted cauliflower. :)
So good and so easy! My two kids (11 and 8) cleaned their plates, which is rare in this house. I accidentally added 3/4 cup of pasta water instead of 1/4 cup, but it still turned out great. I’ll definitely make this again.
This turned out amazing. I added chicken to it
First time making it, and it was a hit! It was an amazing dish I would gladly make over and over again!!
Omg! SO delicious! Possible the best pasta I’ve ever made! Love love love.
Silly question but how do you cut your bacon? Do you use kitchen scissors or do you cut it with a knife? I’ve made this recipe before and loved it but had a lot of trouble cutting up the bacon.
Yep, I just use a knife. :) I don’t separate the pieces before I cut them, I just cut across the slab. Sometimes I even do it right through the plastic package.
Just made this with some Smoked Sausage instead of bacon. Turned out great!
Just made this for myself and my fiance.
I expected that I’d mess up the sauce somehow, but the end result was the best non-tomato sauce slathered thing I’ve had in my entire life!
I finally tried this recipe and it turned out great. My husband and daughter described it as restaurant quality. I wasn’t sure about using the beaten eggs and Parmesan as a sauce but it turned out great. My big concern was it would turn out “eggy” in texture but it turns into a yummy sauce instead. Simple ingredients make a rich tasting dish.
Pasta carbonara always has been one of our go-to recipes, but I would always forget which website I used last. Then I thought to search your site and haven’t used another since! You always manage to get so much flavor out of a deceptively simple recipe. Thank you, as always!!
I can’t wait to try and make this, Looking forward to it. Thank you for sharing!!
This is awesome! I used turkey bacon and cheap parmesan and it was still great!!!! This is cheap, delicious, and it takes little time to make. Thanks so much for all of your great recipes.
We love this recipe! I 2x for my family and the leftovers are eaten for b’fast the next day. I add onion and lots of garlic. So good!
This is a recipe I’ve been missing for too long without knowing it. I also made it similarly to the other GERD sufferer (same) but severely limited the amount of bacon grease allowed in the dish. I also avoid garlic. Is there a good garlic substitution to this recipe that you’ve tried, or have I butchered it?
Hmm, yeah, I think that would be venturing too far from the original concept of the recipe.
I subbed in spiced salami as we had no bacon on hand, and it tasted amazing! I watched the cooking time closely as salami burns in the blink of an eye. Plus, splurging on Pecorino made the difference here. Last time I used Gouda to be frugal and it was much too gooey and added zero flavor. This time it was truly perfect. Thank you again, Beth!
Is the egg raw when poured onto the noodles?
Correct.
This is exactly the recipe I’ve been looking for! I kept trying to get carbonara right, and it never quite made it. This recipe was perfect.
I loved it! I don’t think the egg came out quite right but the combination of pasta, salty bacon, and cheese was a decadent treat. I wouldn’t make this all the time since it is on the heavier side but it hit my craving for creamy pasta just right. Thanks once again for yet another recipe to add to the repertoire Beth :-)
This was wonderful! Thanks so much for the recipe. I did mine up with a spinach/arugala apple salad with prescutto and some mozarella stuffed roma tomatoes on the side.
Thanks for helping me make an impressive date night for the girlfriend! :D
Hooray, homemade carbonara! Thank you so much for this cheap and quick recipe. My husband thanks you too! I just found your blog and you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and I’m going to try alll the recipes! <3
I made this recipe and I thought it was amazing! (along with other recipes I’ve tried from your site, Beth!!) Thanks for sharing. My husband and I ate it all up and took it for lunch the next day as well. It was delicious. I actually shared this recipe in my most recent post on my blog, “Tried and True Pinterest Recipes 2.0”. Link: http://www.meshkomoments.com/tried-true-pinterest-recipes-2-0/ If anyone was interested in checking it out :) Thanks!
Thank you!!
I think it’s a horrible recipe. The water in the pan for the brown bits really add a brownish color to your sauce and is unappealing visually. If you’re cutting down the recipe it’s very hard to get the proportions just right. The pasta has to be HOT…mine probably wasn’t hot enough. You also have to be very careful that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs (I didn’t). I’m not particularly concerned about raw eggs, but you’re expecting the heat of the steaming pasta to cook the eggs and that’s what makes this a very tricky recipe to get right. This gets good reviews, but at the end of the day I prefer the butter and cream style.
#1 – The pasta does not have to be HOT. I cooked mine ahead of time and it was lukewarm.
#2 – In order to not scramble the eggs, keep the heat very low while continually stirring the pasta. Eggs are often overcooked to the point of being dry. Perfectly cooked eggs should still be creamy so they only take about a minute or so to fully cook and should always be done over low heat.
#3 – Them brown bits may not be “pretty” but they add a lot of flavor! To the point where no extra salt is needed (in my opinion) for this dish.
Instead of immediately bashing a recipe which has rave reviews (because Beth is awesome) maybe seek out some tips from Beth or her fans about how you can make this a successful one :-)
Butter and cream is not a true carbonara. I agree creamy pastas can be delicious but they’re not carbonaras.
A true carbonara is just egg, bacon, pasta and cheese.
cooking in pot next time…way to messy for me to toss in skillet lol Wasn’t a fan of putting raw eggs and just tossing. Didn’t say how long to cook…….so I heated it for a while
oh yeah only using lil bacon and use chicken . WAY to salty with bacon. Hot smoke sausage is great too
Goes great with a cold beer help the salty bacon out lol
I made this, only I subbed half and half (left over from making your zuppa toscana last night) for the pasta water,, and chopped up chicken thighs and onions that I cooked with the bacon. Then mixed in spinach when I combined it. Very good. Will make this again.
I tried this one since I am avoiding all tomato sauces now (due to GERD) and used low sodium turkey bacon. It was easy and even better, the kids loved it! I doubled it for my crew. We actually finished the leftovers the next day for lunch, which is a rare event. Thanks for the new recipe, Beth!
For the first time in a long time I messed one of your recipes up and it all came down to the wrong type of parmesan, believe it or not!
Will definitely double check the pictures in future.
Do you drain the bacon grease before you add the garlic, or do I leave the bacon grease in the pan with the garlic?
Leave it in so the pasta is extra rich and creamy. ;)
It’s Beth’s recipe and she says leave it in the pan – I vote drain the bacon fat!
I drain most of it but definitely leave a little in. Fat is flavor.
This looks awesome! I love carbonara pasta but I’ve never had the motivation to make it at home. Time to change that!
This is one of my favorite dishes. We usually make it for special occasions as we will splurge for pancetta. I am excited to try this version using bacon.
I love spaghetti carbonara and haven’t made it in a long time. Thank you for sharing your recipe
This is really similar to how I make carbonara. I like to add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the oil when sauteing garlic and then if I’m feeling a need for a veggie fix, I’ll add some frozen peas at the end. Bacon, eggs and peas just go together in my mind, like an old-fashioned pea salad. Thanks for doing a simple and delicious version of one of my favorite dishes!
Absolutely love it! Italian food rocks. I´m from New York, and even though I tend to try and test my cooking skills, I prefer to go to Barilla Restaurants, it´s cheap and has the best pastas in town….in case you´ve never been there it´s very cool! and affordable! http://www.barillarestaurants.com/
Pasta carbonara is one of my favorites! I learned how to make it when I was studying abroad in Florence, and it’s a standby for me. The great thing is, people think it’s super impressive when it’s really easy to make!
I’m (hopefully) moving into a house full of vegetarians soon, so I’ve been thinking about trying it with some roasted/sauteed/slightly charred brussel sprouts in place of the bacon to still add that smoky flavor.
You could try some smoked paprika for a smoky flavor, as well. It’s my favorite seasoning.
You think cheddar cheese would work ok? Because I’m out of parm and really don’t want to go to the store….
I really wouldn’t suggest it. This one really needs Parm or Romano.
Ok, I confess. I used cheddar. I was in a pinch… And you were right. BUT even worse, my eggs curdled. Was the pasta too hot? How do I avoid that? My husband spent years in Italy and loves carbonara! My curdled eggs won’t do :-P
The difference between the texture of the cheddar and Parmesan may have something to do with it. You actually want the pasta pretty hot, but I think the key is to be tossing the pasta very quickly as you add the egg mixture so that it cooks into a smooth sauce rather than curdled chunks.
I made this last night and it was fantastic. It was over 90 so I used pre-cooked bacon so as to not heat the kitchen any more than necessary and it worked out well.
This is my kids favorite meal!
I accidentally whisked all of the Parmesan in with the egg AND I burnt the garlic. It still tasted great!
Hey Beth.
LOVE your website. As a student, your money saving recipes have been a life saver.
I was wondering if you had ever heard of Chinese stir-fried egg and tomato. I was just having it for dinner when I thought it would be perfect on your website! It’s a really simple dish usually served with rice. Thought you might like it because of how much you love eggs as well ;)
http://rasamalaysia.com/tomato-eggs/ has a great recipe for it. I like to use milk instead of water. Some recipes call for ketchup or a cornstarch slurry in the tomato mixture which works great as well.
You know what, you’re the second person to suggest that dish to me! :D I guess I need to finally make it. :)
This may have been the greatest site in a long time that I have stumbled across. I can’t wait to share these with the family. Thanks for the great content, I’ll try a few of these out. Of course I live in Canada so pricing will be a bit different but this could seriously keep my wallet full. Thanks again!
This has been my favorite food since I was a kid! My dad used to call it “bacon and egg spaghetti.” His version is almost the same as yours except that after cooking the bacon and garlic he pours in 1/4 cup white wine and simmers for a few minutes, just long enough to cook off the alcohol taste–and then you have plenty of wine left for drinking with dinner! When I make it, I tend to go way overboard with the parsley also–sometimes up to 1/3 of a bunch–mostly because it’s so pretty. Thanks for posting!
I’m quite conflicted about this recipe, I know a lot of recipes use whole eggs (some even use cream… ew), one of the big things I love about carbonara is how the yolk gets half cooked when you pop it and mix it through the pasta and its taste when mixed with the parmesan (1 yolk per plate). On the other hand always end up with superfluous whites that I end up throwing away half the time for lack of inspiration for a white-only recipe. Putting the whites in really gets rid of the signature taste though. I might make an attempt at making bacon-parmesan meringues with it and eat it with the pasta instead. If you’ve never tasted carbonara with yolks only, I highly recommend you give it a shot, it’s really quite a difference experience than with whole eggs.
This recipe looks so easy plus being economical. The photo looks scrumptious! We love Smithfield Bacon….great idea to slice and freeze! Pinned. Thanks, Beth.
Thank you for not including any kind of cream in this recipe. Somehow a lot of people think that Carbonara needs cream and … Just no.
I do have my own tried-and-trusted recipe (lots of garlic and lots of bacon), but I might give yours a shot. :)
This looks and sounds so delicious! The simple ingredient list is nice, too. I can’t wait to try and make this. I think I will try it this week!! Looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing!!! :)
I am a fan of lighter sauces as well. My stomach just doesn’t like things that are super creamy, oily, buttery, or greasy. Which is a good thing haha. I like your version!
I got to thank these comments for a laugh this morning. When you have such a simple recipe, it’s going to be hard to replace or omit ingredients. Pasta carbonara without pork (bacon or prosciutto) or without eggs is NOT pasta carbonara. If you can’t handle the basis of a recipe, then this is not the recipe for you!
I agree that you can’t substitute the egg (at least I can’t imagine with what!) but vegetarian carbonara works well – try it on it’s own or with mushrooms and/ or peas :)
Can anyone suggest a vegetarian substitution for the bacon?
You could try mushrooms.
This will be dinner tonight.
Thanks Beth, this looks delicious! I am always in need of quick, satisfying meals.
I can’t stand the flavor of eggs. Is there any way to make something similar, but with no egg taste? Thanks!
Hmm, nothing really close to this, as it’s an egg based dish, but maybe you could do my Bacon and Spinach Pasta? It’s also very fast and easy. :)
I was a little nervous to read your recipe. I’m Italian and when I see how people desecrate a simple recipe I get pretty upset. Your recipe is perfect! Many thanks.
Awwww, that means SO much! Thank you! :D
I made a vegetarian carbonara tonight with sautéed mushrooms and shallots (seared until really golden, with a pinch of smoked paprika) in place of the bacon, and spinach and sweet potato stirred in toward the end. It was delish!
I learned to make Spaghetti Carbonara watching Molto Mario many years ago – one of his tips was to use plenty of fresh ground pepper, which I believe does elevate this simple dish. Definitely a favorite when the cupboard is bare at dinner time!
I LOVE pasta!!!
I don’t know how traditional it is but I often make this for a quick dinner with slices of Andouille sausage or chirozo instead of pancetta or bacon just because my local butcher does great versions of these at really great prices and you only need a link or two to really get the flavor. I’ll also throw in an onion & some pepper/capsicum I’ve also been known to when really broke to just use eggs and what ever cheese I have in the house with just onions & peppers.
How ever you make it this is one of my favorite meal in a hurry dishes.
For one serving I cook up Trader Joe’s already chopped up proscuitto, then add 1/4 cup white wine and turn to low. Water should already be heating up for pasta. Beat up one egg, a few minced garlic cloves and some grated parmesan. Cook 4 oz pasta, drain, stir in egg mixture and proscuitto. Pepper and some chopped herb, parsley, rosemary, basil