Pasta alla Carbonara

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SERVES 2 TO 3

This is real carbonara—pasta coated in an impossibly creamy but very much cream free sauce made from egg, guanciale, pepper, and pecorino.

Because I don’t want Italy to cancel me, let me emphasize that it’s not the only carbonara.

The cook’s preferences and sense of flair determines the details. Some versions are more pecorino forward, some are heavier on porkiness, some have crisp nuggets of guanciale, and others have soft slivers, some use whole eggs, some only yolks.

But this is Rome. There are always rules. And outside Italy, people seem to be unaware of any of them. I mean, have you seen the video of Gordon Ramsey making carbonara with regular bacon, mushrooms, and parsley? I can’t even. America isn’t any better. I know as a country we’ve done worse, but my god, the number of times I’ve ordered carbonara only to be presented essentially with a bowl of Stouffer’s fettuccine alfredo. I get it—when it’s made well, I see why someone might mistakenly assume the creamy sauce contains actual cream. Why you see carbonara with peas or onions, however, I cannot tell you.

INGREDIENTS 

Your Pasta Sucks: A "Cookbook" Matteo Lane

• 3 oz [85 g] guanciale, cut into 1 in [2.5 cm] long, ¼ in [6 mm] wide strips

• 5 large egg yolks

• 1¼ cups [125 g] finely grated (on a Microplane) Pecorino Romano

• ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• A handful of kosher salt

• 8 oz [230 g] dried spaghetti, bucatini, or rigatoni

DIRECTIONS 

Fill a large pot with 3 in [7.5 cm] or so of water and bring to a boil. You’re not using a lot because you want that water to become really starchy from the  pasta, so it’ll help thicken the sauce later. 

In a large, heavy pan (no oil needed) over medium-low heat, cook the guanciale, stirring occasionally, until the strips have golden brown edges but are still chewy, 10 to 15 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain so the strips don’t get soggy, but keep that remaining fat in the pan.

While the guanciale is cooking and the water is coming up to a boil, in a large mixing bowl that’ll sit in the pot but not touch the boiling water, whisk the egg yolks and Pecorino Romano until you have a thick paste. 

Once the water is boiling, set the bowl with the yolk- cheese mixture in the pot and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the pot, whisk in the pepper, and set aside. 

Add the salt to the boiling water and then add the spaghetti. Let the spaghetti soften slightly, then stir so the pasta doesn’t stick together. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, about as long as the package instructions tell you, but the only way to tell for sure is to taste it yourself. 

After about 5 minutes of cooking the pasta, scoop out about ½ cup [120 ml] of the magical pasta water. By the splash, add 3 tbsp of the pasta water to the egg mixture, whisking after each addition. This is so the eggs don’t scramble when you add the hot pasta.

Now, pour in the leftover guanciale fat and whisk until it’s all glossy and smooth. 

When the pasta is al dente, with a colander, drain the pasta well. Transfer the pasta to the bowl with the egg mixture and immediately start tossing constantly until the pasta is coated in a glossy, creamy sauce, about 1 minute. Add the guanciale and toss well, gradually adding pasta water by the tablespoon if the sauce is thicker than you’d like. Season with salt. Serve in bowls.

Excerpted from Your Pasta Sucks: A “Cookbook” by Matteo Lane, © 2025. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Antonis Achilleos

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