Classic Pasta Carbonara

The real Roman carbonara uses no cream — just egg yolks, guanciale, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and pasta water. Once you master the technique of tempering the eggs, this becomes one of the fastest, most impressive weeknight dinners you can make.

Ingredients

• 400g spaghetti or rigatoni
• 150g guanciale (or pancetta), diced
• 4 large egg yolks
• 50g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Salt for pasta water

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook guanciale in a cold pan over medium heat until rendered and crispy. Remove from heat and reserve the fat.
3. Whisk egg yolks with Pecorino, Parmigiano, and a generous amount of black pepper in a bowl.
4. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
5. Add hot drained pasta to the guanciale pan (off heat). Add ¼ cup pasta water and toss.
6. Add egg mixture and toss vigorously, adding pasta water a splash at a time until silky and creamy — not scrambled.
7. Serve immediately topped with extra cheese and cracked pepper.