This creamy pasta carbonara recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta (yes, it really is that quick!), this carbonara is sure to become a favourite for any busy family.
This recipe is part of my Flexible Weeknight Dinner Plan. If you want stress-free weeknight dinners without meal-planning overwhelm, find out more here.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This dish is the perfect mixture of savoury bacon and silky cream. Adding an egg yolk right at the end makes the whole thing feel incredibly luxurious, all while being one of the simplest meals to cook.
In fact, this is such an easy meal to make, it is one of the first that I teach my children. As soon as they know how to boil pasta and separate an egg, they can make this recipe.
Since we often have all of the ingredients for this creamy carbonara on hand, it has become our go-to fast food dinner. In fact, it is actually quicker to make this meal than it is to pick up takeout!
To balance the richness of this dish, we like to serve it with a green salad. It truly is a meal that I think every family should learn how to cook.
Ingredients For this Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Serves 4
- 200-300 g unsmoked lardons/bacon, sliced
- 4 egg yolks
- Pepper to taste
- 200g crème fraîche/double cream
- Pasta to serve
- Parmesan, optional, to serve
Lardons/bacon
I find that bacon bits are easiest to use in this recipe (they are called ‘lardons’ here in France) but you can also cut up bacon rashers before frying them. Another option would be to use ham, this would give you a slightly lower fat option.
I prefer to use unsmoked, as smoked bacon can be rather overpowering in this recipe.
Eggs
The egg yolk will be served raw, so make sure you use fresh eggs and avoid this method for those who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised.
You can keep the egg whites and use them in recipes like these almond cookies.
Cream
Here in France, crème fraîche is the go-to cream for cooking. However, if you can’t get hold of crème fraîche, double cream, or even sour cream would work.
If you need a dairy free version, use coconut milk instead of cream.
Pasta
I prefer to use the traditional spaghetti for this recipe, but feel free to use whichever pasta you like. Just be aware of cooking times, if your pasta takes less than 10 minutes to cook, you will need to start the sauce before cooking the pasta.
If you are gluten-free, using gluten free pasta will work just as well.
How to Make this Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in a small saucepan. No need to add oil, the bacon will release its own fat. Once the bacon is cooked, you may wish to remove some of the fat. Turn down the heat and add the cream. Heat through gently.
Separate the egg white and yolks and place one egg yolk in the bottom of each plate. Reserve the egg white for use in another recipe.
Once the pasta is cooked through, divide the pasta between each plate, on top of the egg yolk. Spoon the creamy carbonara sauce over the pasta. Mix the pasta, sauce and egg yolk together in each bowl.
Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and some cracked pepper on top. Add a side of green salad for some veggies.
Notes and Tips
- Always mix the pasta, sauce and egg yolk directly in the plate – not in a saucepan. If you do this in a hot saucepan the yolk will cook and become clumpy. You want the egg yolk to remain silky and blend with with the cream.
- Depending on how fatty your bacon is, you may wish to remove some of the fat after cooking. You can either spoon it out or use kitchen towel to sponge it out of the pan.
- Adding a sprinkle of parmesan before serving is optional but I highly recommend it!
- Make sure you check the cooking time of your pasta before starting. If it is under 10 minutes, you will need to start the sauce before cooking the pasta.
Can this Carbonara Recipe be Made Gluten and Dairy Free?
Absolutely! Simply swap the pasta for a gluten free version and use coconut milk instead of cream.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out in the comments!
If you enjoy creamy comfort food, you might also like this ground beef stroganoff recipe !
Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
- 200-300 g unsmoked lardons/bacon sliced
- 4 egg yolks
- Pepper to taste
- 200 g crème fraîche/double cream
- Pasta to serve
- Parmesan optional, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in a small saucepan. No need to add oil, the bacon will release its own fat. Once the bacon is cooked, you may wish to remove some of the fat. Turn down the heat and add the cream. Heat through gently.
- Separate the egg white and yolks and place one egg yolk in the bottom of each plate. Reserve the egg white for use in another recipe.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, divide the pasta between each plate, on top of the egg yolk. Spoon the creamy carbonara sauce over the pasta. Mix the pasta, sauce and egg yolk together in each bowl.
- Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and some cracked pepper on top. Add a side of green salad for some veggies.
Notes
- Always mix the pasta, sauce and egg yolk directly in the plate – not in a saucepan. If you do this in a hot saucepan the yolk will cook and become clumpy. You want the egg yolk to remain silky and blend with with the cream.
- Depending on how fatty your bacon is, you may wish to remove some of the fat after cooking. You can either spoon it out or use kitchen towel to sponge it out of the pan.
- Adding a sprinkle of parmesan before serving is optional but I highly recommend it!
- Make sure you check the cooking time of your pasta before starting. If it is under 10 minutes, you will need to start the sauce before cooking the pasta.
- Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free pasta.
- Make it dairy free by using coconut milk instead of crème fraîche.
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