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5-Ingredient Foolproof Carbonara

5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 5 Ingredient Recipes, Easy Dinners
Servings: 2
Author: Bora Park

Equipment

  • 1 Heat-Proof Bowl
  • 1 Large Pot
  • 1 Whisk

Ingredients

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano plus more for garnish
  • 8 oz guanciale or pancetta
  • 8 oz dry spaghettoni
  • 2 cups reserved pasta water
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Prepare + Cook the Guanciale:

  • Prepare the guanciale by cutting off the hard rind. Then cut the guanciale into 3/4" cubes. They do reduce a bit in size when cooking so make sure not to dice them too small.
  • Add the guanciale to a cold pan and cook on medium heat. Slowly render out the fat from the guanciale. Adjust the heat accordingly if the guanciale starts to cook or turn brown too fast. Once the guanciale is fully cooked, drain it through a mesh strainer and set aside. Reserve the guanciale fat for use later.

Prepare the Bain-Marie:

  • Fill a pot of water just enough so that when you place the heat-proof bowl on top of it, the water is not touching the bowl. Bring the water to a soft boil over medium-high heat. You can use the same pot of water to cook the pasta. Just make sure the pot is large enough to hold the amount of pasta you'll be cooking.

Cook the Pasta

  • Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Make sure to reserve the starchy pasta water for the carbonara sauce. Then transfer the pasta to a bowl and make sure to leave enough water in the pot for the bain-marie.

Make the Carbonara Sauce:

  • Add the egg yolks, cheese, 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper to a heat-proof bowl and whisk.
  • Then place the bowl over the pot of pasta water. Then add the reserved pasta water and guanciale fat to the sauce and whisk vigorously until you get a creamy consistency.

Assemble the Pasta

  • Add the guanciale and pasta to the bowl with carbonara sauce. Add more reserved pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out. Then place the bowl over the bain-marie again and mix the pasta vigorously and quickly for about 30 seconds.
  • Plate and garnish with more Pecorino cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately because good pasta waits for no one! Enjoy.