Did you know that the traditional carbonara doesn’t have any cream in it? Well, if you didn’t, you’d be surprised to know it only requires 5 ingredients to make. The cream-less sauce is made mainly from egg yolks and pecorino cheese, and with the starchy pasta water, the emulsion creates a creamy, silky texture. It is to die for.

Let’s save yourself the embarrassment, put that tub of cream away and let me show you how to make carbonara the classic way that even your nonna would approve!

Ingredients

1 serving of spaghetti
80-100g guanciale (or pancetta), diced
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup pecorino romano, freshly grated
Pepper, freshly grated

Put the tub of cream away, bestie.

Method

In a bowl of boiling salted water, cook your spaghetti to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, place the diced guanciale (you could also use pancetta if you cannot find guanciale, it will be slightly saltier though just keep in mind) in a dry pan over medium heat to render the fat and cook until crispy golden brown.

In a separate bowl, crack in the 3 egg yolks along with the pecorino and a hefty amount of freshly grated black pepper. Mix well into a paste. It should look lumpy.

Once the pasta is cooked, transfer pasta, crispy guanciale and a splash of the pasta water into the bowl with the eggy mixture and toss well to combine. Add more pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce, if needed. I highly recommend you to toss your pasta in the bowl with the eggy mixture instead of your pan. The pan would be too hot and will cook and curdle the eggs.

Top with more cheese and pepper to serve.