Proper carbonara recipe
Created by Angela Romeo
‘Carbonara is my go-to recipe for busy days', says food writer Angela Romeo, and her easy recipe is ready in just 15 minutes, with a handful of ingredients. 'I like to use guanciale (Italian air-dried pork cheek); it’s peppery and full of flavour and the contrast with the silky, creamy sauce is divine. I also like to add an extra egg yolk or two; this will give a premium quality to your sauce.’
See method- Serves 4
- Takes 15 mins
- 617 calories / serving
Ingredients
- 350g spaghetti
- 3 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
- 75g pecorino, finely grated, plus extra
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 100g pack Tesco Finest Italian diced guanciale
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Shop ingredientsEach serving contains
- Energy
- 2585kJ 617.0kcal
- Fat
- 30g
- Saturates
- 12g
- Salt
- 2.1g
- Sugars
- 2g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 57.4gProtein 26.9gFibre 3.5g
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Method
- Cook the spaghetti to pack instructions. Drain, reserving half a mugful of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, put the eggs, egg yolks and pecorino in a bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Heat a dry, nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the guanciale. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 mins until the garlic is fragrant and the guanciale is crispy (reduce the heat a little if the garlic is browning too much). Add the drained spaghetti and toss well for 30 secs-1 min. Remove from the heat.
- Gently stir in 2 tbsp of the reserved cooking water, then pour in the egg mixture and gently stir to coat the pasta, it should be nice and glossy – add a splash more cooking water if needed. Serve, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and extra grated pecorino.
- Tip: Only got medium eggs? Use 4, plus 2 egg yolks.
- See more Italian recipes
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.
