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.
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!
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.