Pasta Carbonara Recipe With Bacon

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If you love pasta, you can’t go through your life without a decent bowl of pasta Carbonara. It can be as creamy as you want to make it, and all without a drop of dairy. This version uses bacon which adds incredible flavor to an already delicious dish.

You might also be interested in trying my Cheeseburger Pasta, my Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta, or my Artichoke Chicken Pasta.

This pasta is smothered in creamy sauce, smoky/savory flavors from the bacon bits, and satisfying pasta that will satisfy even the emptiest of souls… er… bellies. It’s a flavor-packed recipe that is foolproof.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It has a perfect balance of creaminess and smokiness
• Simple yet luxurious ingredients
• Ready in under 30 minutes

What Is Carbonara?

Pasta Carbonara is a pasta dish made with Carbonara sauce. This sauce is an egg-based sauce and does not use any dairy, despite it’s creamy outcome.

What Pasta To Use For Pasta Carbonara?

Spaghetti: This is a classic choice for carbonara, because it does a great job at holding onto the sauce.

Fettuccine: Flat and broad, this pasta offers a toothier texture than spaghetti, that pairs nicely with the rich carbonara sauce.

Bucatini: This pasta is similar to spaghetti but slightly thicker, with a hollow center that allows the sauce to flow through and over each noodle.

Rigatoni: This is a ridged, tube-shaped pasta that does an amazing job of holding onto the sauce.

Is Chicken Carbonara A Different Dish?

Chicken Carbonara is simply a carbonara recipe made with added cooked pieces of chicken. You could add it in addition to the bacon in this recipe, or substitute it completely for the bacon. Either way. You can do the same thing with shrimp for shrimp Carbonara. This recipe is pretty versatile that way.

Pro Recipe Tips

1. Reserve lots of your pasta water. Or better yet, don’t drain your pasta. If you are likely to forget setting aside some of the pasta water, don’t bother draining it at all. Simply use tongs to lift the pasta out of the pot of water and put it directly into the pan. The creaminess of your pasta Carbonara will be dependent on how much pasta water you use. This pasta dish can be a bit “thirsty”, meaning that it can really soak up the pasta water. Don’t be afraid to add more, a little at a time, as needed. This is why you want to reserve plenty of it.
2. Stir constantly once you’ve added the sauce to prevent ending up with scrambled eggs.

FAQs About Pasta Carbonara

1. Can I Use Cream Instead Of Egg Yolks?

Traditional carbonara doesn’t use cream, but you can add a splash for a richer sauce if you want to.

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?

Yes, substitute spaghetti with gluten-free pasta and make sure any other ingredients are labeled as gluten-free.

What’s The Best Cheese For Carbonara?

Authentic Carbonara recipes typically call for Pecorino Romano, but Parmesan is the best substitute and is sometimes easier to find. Just make sure you are using the real stuff. Shelf-stable Parmesan cheese (like Kraft) will not perform well in a recipe like this.

Does Carbonara Taste Good Without Any Meat At All?

If you are vegetarian, you can definitely leave out the meat and still end up with a tasty bowl of pasta.

Recipe Variations

• Add mushrooms. (You’ll cook them with the bacon bits)
• Substitute the spaghetti with Zoodles for a low-carb version.
• Use turkey bacon or chicken for different variations.

What You’ll Need To Make Pasta Carbonara With Bacon

Whole grain spaghetti – Or your favorite gluten-free pasta. Use whatever type you like best.

Bacon – Get a good quality bacon with no added sugar or dextrose. It makes a difference. You’ll want to chop this as small as you can get it so you basically have bacon bits.

Egg yolks – Save the whites for an omelet the next day.

Grated Parmesan cheese – You can also use Pecorino Romano.

Garlic clove – It will be tempting to use more than one clove, but I don’t recommend it unless you want the central flavor here to be the garlic. The choice is yours. One clove is plenty in this dish.

Extra virgin olive oil – Or any other light-flavored oil.

Ground black pepper

Reserved pasta water – Reserve more than you think you will need, because you will probably need it.

Salt – To taste.

How To Make Carbonara Pasta Carbonara With Bacon

Collect and measure the ingredients.

Cook spaghetti to package directions in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup (or more) pasta water.

Chop up the bacon.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until cooked to your liking. In the last 30 seconds of cooking, stir in the garlic and toss well with the bacon.

In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper until smooth.

Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet with the bacon. Toss to combine.

Off heat, add the egg mixture into the pasta, tossing quickly to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until the sauce is creamy enough for you. Note that you may need to add more once things sit for a bit.

Plate and garnish with extra Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to three days. If you wish, you can also refrigerate some pasta water to use when you reheat your leftovers. Otherwise, you can use regular water or broth.

Reheating

Gently reheat in a skillet with a splash of pasta water or broth to loosen the sauce. Avoid the microwave to prevent drying.

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