Easy Pasta Carbonara Recipe from my Italian Nana

This post was created in partnership with Perdue Farms, and the content expressed here is my own.

Growing up in a big Italian family, we had lots of gatherings that centered around food. In our family, food equals love – and we sure got a lot of good love! One of our favorite dishes has always been pasta, and this easy Pasta Carbonara recipe is still a family pleaser.

When I was a kid, we’d gather in the kitchen as pots were boiling, the oven was baking, and something was always bubbling on the stove top. This is how we learned to cook, since there were no recipes written down. A dash of this and a sprinkle of that, and it all came together in something delicious. So this easy Pasta Carbonara recipe from my Italian Nana had to be figured out from scratch. I updated it a bit for modern tastes, and here is the recipe.

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Easy Pasta Carbonara Recipe from my Italian Nana

Ingredients

• 1 egg and 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cream or half and half
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (yes they do taste different)
• 4 slices of Niman Ranch (R) Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon – No Sugar (Nana used Italian guinciale, but bacon is easier to find and less expensive. Bacon with no sugar is imperative here.)
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Chopped parsley
• 1 lb pasta – spaghetti is preferred but linguini works too

Instructions

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil, with a healthy dash of salt.

Beat eggs and mix in cream and cheeses. Add pepper and salt to taste. Set aside.

Cut bacon strips into squares and fry at medium high in large pan with olive oil, onions and garlic, careful not to cook until crispy.

Turn off heat when bacon is cooked limp and leave in pan.

Boil pasta until cooked just al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

Put drained pasta in pan with bacon mixture, and heat on medium for about a minute or so.

Add egg and cheese mixture to pan and stir well over heat quickly. Turn off heat.

Add pasta water a little at a time and stir for added creaminess.

Easy Pasta Carbonara Recipe – Serve and Enjoy

Put into large bowl and serve immediately with parsley sprinkle on top. Have cheese on the side for those that like more (like my kids).

This whole process of making this easy pasta carbonara recipe takes less than 30 minutes. Serve with green salad and some crusty sourdough bread, and you are now a family dinner hero.

My Nana would be so proud of you!

For other pasta recipes from my Italian family kitchen, try:

Pasta With Zucchini Blossoms Recipe 

Sicilian Pasta with Fava Beans Recipe

Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe