Bucatini Carbonara

Pasta carbonara in a grey bowl with a fork and another bowl in the background - square

This easy bucatini carbonara recipe is creamy, crave-worthy, and ready in under 30 minutes. The combination of crispy pancetta and the creamiest carbonara sauce makes for the ultimate comfort food meal!

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bucatini carbonara, carbonara, carbonara recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 545kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (medium, chopped)
6 ounces pancetta (chopped whether you buy thin sliced or chunked)
3 teaspoons garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic, minced)
1 cup peas (I use fresh, but you can also use frozen)(cooked)
1 pound bucatini pasta
Salt for pasta water
3 eggs
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Time everything to be finished cooking by the time the pasta is done

Fill medium sized stockpot 1/2 way with water, salt it and set to boil. Once the water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook for 11 minutes or until done.
1 pound bucatini pasta, Salt for pasta water
Cook one cup of frozen peas, set aside.
1 cup peas
Heat a sauté pan on medium heat and add olive oil and onion. Sauté for 7 minutes.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 onion
Add pancetta and sauté for 7 minutes before adding garlic and cook for an additional minute.
6 ounces pancetta, 3 teaspoons garlic paste
As the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and add parmesan. Whisk until combined.
3 eggs, 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Drain cooked pasta - DO NOT run cold water over it, place in large mixing bowl and add the egg mixture and immediately mix the egg with the pasta.
Add the pancetta/onion mixture and the peas and mix it with the pasta.
Place in a serving bowl.
Serve
Smile
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips

When cooking your pasta, cook until just al dente. When draining the pasta, don't run cold water over it as you need it to be hot when you add the egg and cheese mixture. The heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and melts the cheese.
You may also need some reserved pasta water so I like to scoop out 1/2 cup of the water before I drain the pasta. The reason you might need it is because if the carbonara is too thick for your liking, you can add some water a little at a time to thin it out.
Cook the onions until they are slightly browned before adding the pancetta. Since you are going to continue cooking them together long enough to crisp the pancetta, you don't want your onions to be overcooked.
One of the tricks to making good pasta carbonara is timing. You have to make sure the onions, pancetta, and peas are ready at the same time as the pasta. That way, when you mix everything together, they cook the eggs and cheese properly.
When cooking fresh peas, use just enough water to almost cover the peas. Bring to a boil and promptly drain. If cooking frozen peas, also use just enough water to cover them, bring the water to a boil, add the peas and cook for 3 minutes.

Nutrition