Spaghetti With Sausage Alla Carbonara Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Paula

I halved the recipe so that the two of us wouldn't leave leftovers. I only used one egg and that worked out OK. Delicious.

Jim

What is the "large serving bowl with hot water" for? I read the recipe several times and don't see what that's for. Do you lightly beat the eggs over the warm water?

Dan

I made this with buccatini (spaghetti-like tubes). We all liked it. I'll add a bit more pasta water next time.

Jim

What do you mean --- leftovers?

David Look

That's the "warm serving bowl" at the beginning of step 4. So if you filled a bowl with warm water as opposed to heating the bowl in the oven without water, dump the water out before adding the ingredients. Hope that helps!

Juanita

I cooked this for dinner. Since there are two of us, I used half the spaghetti and all of the pork. Was great--and now we get to have leftovers tonight. I think a pound of spaghetti would be more than the meat could handle.

Cari

Really easy and tasty recipe! Used spicy chicken sausage in lieu of pork sausage and it was great. Added some hot chili pepper flakes while cooking the sausage in the wine. Delicious!

Melissa H.

I made this for dinner as written with the only change being the addition of some fresh English peas. Delicious!

Nikki

I added some spinach before adding the pasta and doubled the cheese. So good!

Evan

Phenomenal and easy. One note though, tasters (my wife and others) noted that when using fresh egg noodles (from Melissa Clark's recipe) it was a little too "eggy". Try dried pasta for this egg heavy dish - but man, are the flavors good.

MJ

I think this would’ve been better with less pasta maybe 12 oz of pasta instead of 16 oz. also don’t forget to save some pasta cooking water I found the sauce to be quite dry on its own.

Tkrenov

I also mixed sweet and hot Italian sausage, for a bit of a bite. So tasty!! Served it with a green salad with ample tomato and red onion, drizzled with a sweet-ish oil/vinegar/wine/pear dressing, as well as home-made buttry garlic bred--heaven!!

OnThePlate

Not quite. Norcina sauce uses cream and Carbonara sauce uses eggs.

Sharon

Zowie! My first carbonara turned out perfectly. No substitutions except parmesan for pecorino, and linguine for spaghetti--that's what was in the cupboard.Apres' movies, I will serve this to friends with a green salad and a nice red wine like the one suggested. Should be a 20 minute meal with advance prep and one practice run. Delicious.

Lizzie

Julia Child always used dry vermouth in place of white wine. I've been using it for years.

Jen

My whole family loved this! They’re pasta snobs. I used fettuccine and worked out great. Followed the recipe exactly except didn’t use an extra bowl. I just drained the pasta and used the same pot to mix everything together.

John

Do not add 1.5 tsp of black pepper unless you only want to taste pepper. Start with .5 tsp and then add more to taste once it’s in your bowl. Also, one of the eggs should just be the yolk to give it the traditional carbonara unctuousness. This version is too thin.

Ava

RE: the serving bowl of warm water. I know this comment is YEARS late, but after much consideration, my understanding is that the warm water is to heat the bowl, before step 4, pour the warm water out of the bowl-- leaving a warm serving bowl, and then add the sausage and spaghetti etc.

Mark

So the raw eggs are mixed in with the cooked pasta and sausage? Is that why you need a warm serving bowl? Instructions unclear.

neneNee

made 1/2 recipe with meat substitute and Jovial cassava pasta, 1 egg, cuz it’s what i had on hand during covid. not bad but probably better with pork sausage and wheat pasta! i’m a fan of pecorino romano; i’m all sheep dairy, so increased. wonderful! next time may add peas or kale for some green.

CW

Was low on pancetta so altered some amounts to serve 2. Prepared with 6 oz of angel hair pasta, 2 oz of pancetta, 1 full egg, 1 yolk, the full servings of both cheeses (1/3 cup each) and 1 cup pasta water. Added 2 cloves of garlic to pancetta while sautéing. Combined all in pan I sautéed pancetta & garlic in stirring 2 minutes. Served two hungry people with leftovers, easy & delicious!

Maureen

Made this tonight for just the two of us, using 1/2 lb chicken sausage, 8 oz pasta ,and added some crushed red pepper flakes. Delicious and simple.

ed

Easy, delicious. I love carbonara with guanciale, but who has that in their fridge? I used spicy turkey Italian sausage because that's what I had. Don't leave out the pepper, that's the carbon. haha.

JR

I made this tonight, using margarine and omitting the pecorino to make it dairy free. I also used linguine because its what I had on hand. Wow, this was a winner! (For my husband and I, kids weren’t interested, but that just means more leftovers).

Amo Coquere

This was absolutely delicious! I did change the 3 whole eggs to 1 whole egg + 3 egg yolks to give a silkier texture. "Pulling" the pasta directly from the water into the pan with the sausage gave that "extra" bit of pasta water to keep the dish moist.

Christa

This was really very simple to pull together and very tasty! I love Florence Fabricant's recipes. Wonderful discovery! Sausage is always on sale at my store, and this recipe made a very inexpensive, simple, and satisfying dinner, yet with a touch of elegance.

SueB

Added basil, used 3 tbsp pasta water and double the pecorino

Esmeralda

This was delicious! My family loved it. I used spicy Italian sausage from Whole Foods.

AlaskAnn

I halved the recipe (more or less) and added some cremini mushrooms. My daughter said it was the best pasta recipe I’ve ever made! And she doesn’t especially like mushrooms. Definitely will make again.

Heather

Halved the recipe to have just enough for two. Used one egg, and garnished generously with fresh basil which made it even better.

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Spaghetti With Sausage Alla Carbonara Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

Whisk Like You Mean It

You're using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there's still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.

What are the ingredients in spaghetti alla carbonara? ›

There are innumerable versions of this dish (as well as opinions about what can or cannot be added), but this classic recipe sticks to just the essentials: pasta, eggs, Pecorino Romano, guanciale (cured pork jowl), black pepper, and a little salt.

What should not be added to carbonara? ›

What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.

Should the egg in carbonara be cooked? ›

The use of thermal processing is the most effective method for Salmonella inactivation in preparations containing eggs. Consequently, according to regulatory agencies, it is generally mandatory that these preparations must be completely cooked to a temperature of at least 70 °C.

Do you put raw egg in carbonara? ›

What distinguishes carbonara from other pasta dishes is its technique of combining eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper into a rich, silky sauce. This recipe calls for raw eggs that are gently cooked by the hot sauce. If you prefer, you can use pasteurized eggs instead.

Why no garlic in carbonara? ›

Why is there no garlic in carbonara? Because it's an Italian dish, not an Italian-American dish, and Italian cooking does not use garlic as heavily as Italian-American cuisine. You can either make a carbonara, or the same dish with added garlic (just don't call *that* carbonara, it's not).

What thickens carbonara? ›

Equally important is that the fat that melts out of the guanciale is required to thicken the carbonara sauce to make it creamy. Basically, what happens is that when the fat from the guanciale and in the egg yolks is mixed with starchy pasta cooking water, it thickens.

What kind of cheese do you use for carbonara? ›

Pecorino Romano: This aged sheep's cheese is always traditionally used in the Roman pastas, and its salty, grassy, earthy flavor is absolutely delicious in carbonara. That said, if Pecorino is unavailable at your local grocery store, you can use Parmesan as a non-traditional substitute.

Can you use Parmesan instead of pecorino in carbonara? ›

Pecorino is made from sheep's milk and is saltier than Parmesan, so if you end up subbing one for the other, make sure to adjust the salt accordingly. The most crucial part is that you must grate your own cheese – whatever you do, do not use the store bought pre-grated cheese.

Is carbonara better with pecorino or parmesan? ›

Many traditional carbonara recipes call for Pecorino Romano cheese, but Parmigiano Reggiano is also often used, as well as a combination of the two. The origin of the dish is a source of much debate, and you can read a little about the various origin stories in an article our blog.

How unhealthy is pasta carbonara? ›

Creamy sauces like carbonara sauce are usually made from butter, cheese, and heavy cream, all of which pile on the saturated fat and calories. A healthier option would be a lighter sauce such as the olive oil-based one in aglio olio, which is rich in good fat and cooked with fresh ingredients like garlic and chilli.

Do you use whole eggs or just yolks for carbonara? ›

Traditional carbonara sauce is made with whole eggs, not just the yolks. However, some recipes do call for just yolks. In the traditional recipe, the eggs are beaten together with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper, and sometimes a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Why is carbonara so hard to make? ›

The carbonara sauce in pasta primarily consists of egg yolks. Achieving a smooth and creamy consistency is often the most challenging step. Since the raw egg yolks have to be mixed with the pasta, you have to make sure to add the egg yolks to the pasta OFF the heat so the eggs don't scramble.

Should carbonara have cream in it? ›

And indeed, there's plenty of recipes that cheat by adding in cream. But today, we're making spaghetti carbonara properly, the authentic, traditional way. No cream. Just egg, cheese and a splash of starchy pasta cooking water.

How do you keep carbonara from scrambling? ›

Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.

Why don t Italians use cream in carbonara? ›

A mixture of Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano, and a few drops of extravirgin olive oil to help rebdring the guanciale are allowed. Why don't traditional pastas use cream? The reason is that cream isn't used in Italian pasta dishes is that it can be overpowering.

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