Like many recipes, the origins of the dish and its name are unclear. The dish is part of a family of dishes that include pasta and bacon, cheese and peppers, such as spaghetti alla gricia. Indeed, carbonara is very similar to the Southern Italian pasta "Cacio e uova", seasoned with melted lard and mixed with eggs and cheese.

There are many theories about the origin of the name. Since the name is derived from carbonari (an Italian word meaning coal miner), some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty lunch for Italian coal miners. In some parts of the United States, the etymology has given rise to what is known as "Miner's Spaghetti". Also, contrary to popular belief, this recipe has nothing to do with the Roman restaurant of the same name.

Pasta alla carbonara was first attested in 1950, when it was described in the Italian newspaper La Stampa as a dish sought by American officers after the Allied liberation of Rome in 1944. It was described as a Roman dish that many Italians eat with eggs and bacon. supplied to troops from the United States. Carbonara was included in Elizabeth David's English-language cookbook published in Great Britain in 1954.

Carbonara and cream

Cream is not used in the classic Italian recipe. Their addition is a consequence of mixing the recipe with the cuisines and cultures of different countries. Outside of Italy, you may find peas, broccoli, mushrooms or other vegetables in this dish.

How to make carbonara pasta at home?

The base of the sauce is whipped yolks with finely grated picorino Romano cheese. If you're wary of raw eggs, don't worry. The eggs will be cooked from the residual heat of the spaghetti and bacon. The main difficulty in preparing carbonara pasta according to the classic recipe is choosing the required temperature so that the eggs do not curl and turn into an omelette.

To prepare carbonara at home you will need a small amount of ingredients. There are only 5 of them! Agree, not many delicious dishes can be prepared in 15 minutes from 5 ingredients. The process is very simple and fast, which is why it has gained wide popularity on all continents.

Pasta carbonara or alla carbonara is spaghetti or another type of pasta seasoned with black pepper, bacon or ham, cheese and raw eggs. This is a very tasty, high-calorie and filling Italian dish.

History of pasta carbonara

Pasta carbonara is a relatively new dish. His finest hour came in 1944, when US troops entered Rome and brought with them a lot of bacon, which was very useful for the starving citizens. American bacon successfully replaced the traditional Italian pancetta, and pasta carbonara became an international folk dish. The first mention of this recipe in a cookbook dates back to 1957. Of course, before, Italian housewives prepared pasta with deli meats and eggs, but the recipe did not have a stable name.

As for the name of pasta carbonara, everything is shrouded in mystery. Literally translated from Italian, carbonara means “coal.” There are several versions explaining the connection between spaghetti and coal. The most common of them claims that this simple and satisfying dish was invented by coal mine workers, for whom it was important to gain strength and quell hunger for a long time.

According to another version, this pasta was a favorite dish of the Carbonari - rebels who fought the French occupiers and hid in the mountains at the beginning of the 19th century. It is also possible that a large amount of black pepper evoked associations with coal dust, and there was really a lot of pepper in carbonara; it replaced the garlic beloved by Italians. There is also a version that once upon a time the word carbonara was used to describe black spaghetti tinted with cuttlefish ink, and then this name was transferred to the method of serving. There is also a humorous version that claims that the name of the pasta was given by ham, fried to the point of charcoal, but it is unlikely that Italian housewives were so careless about roasting meat.

Pasta carbonara options

In the homeland of the dish, in Rome, it is prepared from pancetta or guanchile, Parmesan cheese and Pecorino Romano. The meat is fried in lard or butter, raw eggs are added to the finished dish, and they are cooked through the heat from the pasta. Interestingly, onions, garlic and basil are not used in the original carbonara recipe, even though these are some of the most beloved foods in Italy.

In the American version, the meat role is played by bacon, fried in vegetable or butter, and after adding the egg, the dish is kept on low heat for a few more minutes so that the eggs are sure to cook. There are options that use only egg yolk - this carbonara pasta looks neater, without protein flakes.

Outside of Italy, carbonara pasta is prepared from any hard cheese and deli meats. Some recipes use heavy cream along with or instead of eggs. Many recipes call for dry white wine. It is not forbidden to replace smoked meat with chicken or turkey; skinless breast looks especially advantageous in this dish. In dietary versions of carbonara you can find mushrooms or eggplants instead of meat, and broccoli or green peas can be cooked along with the pasta.

Ingredients:
1 pack of spaghetti
4 eggs,
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 strips of bacon,
30 g butter
salt, black pepper to taste

Preparation:
Finely chop the bacon and fry in oil until crispy. Mix eggs with grated cheese. Place spaghetti in salted boiling water, cook until tender, drain. Add bacon to hot spaghetti, add eggs and cheese, butter and plenty of pepper. Mix well and keep on the lowest heat for several minutes. Serve hot.

Pasta carbonara with white wine

Ingredients:
500 g spaghetti,
200 g smoked meat,
2 tsp olive oil,
50 ml dry white wine,
4 eggs,
50 g hard cheese,
50 ml heavy cream,
black pepper, nutmeg to taste

Preparation:
Boil the spaghetti in plenty of salted water. While they are cooking, cut the meat into small cubes and fry in a large frying pan until translucent. Pour wine over the roasted meat and leave over low heat for a few minutes. Beat eggs together with cream and grated cheese. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain the water, transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the meat, pepper, season with nutmeg, and mix well. Pour the egg mixture over the spaghetti, stir again and turn off the heat.

Carbonara with herbs

Ingredients:
400 g pasta,
1 bunch of wild garlic or other greens,
200 g bacon,
4 yolks,
200 g heavy cream,
50 g hard cheese,
salt, pepper, olive oil to taste

Preparation:
Cook the pasta until tender, drain the water. Fry thinly sliced ​​bacon in olive oil, add pasta, fry everything together. Beat the yolks with cream and finely chopped herbs, add grated cheese and pepper. Pour this mixture over the pasta, stir and remove from heat.

Spaghetti carbonara with mushrooms without eggs

Ingredients:
500 g spaghetti,
250 g fresh champignons,
150 g bacon or ham,
200 ml cream,
20 g butter,
1 onion head,
salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:
Let the spaghetti cook. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion and mushrooms and fry in half the butter until the liquid evaporates. Pour in the cream, add spices and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. In a separate pan, fry thinly sliced ​​bacon in oil. Form the dish when serving: place the spaghetti on plates, sprinkle with bacon, pour over the sauce.

Pasta carbonara with chicken and mushrooms

Ingredients:
400 g penne, farfalle or other types of pasta,
2 chicken breasts,
3-4 slices of bacon,
250 g fresh mushrooms,
200 ml cream,
100 ml dry white wine,
2 yolks,
salt, pepper, herbs to taste

Preparation:
Let the pasta cook. Cut the breast into cubes, lightly salt, fry in olive oil until golden brown and transfer to a plate. In the same pan, fry thinly sliced ​​bacon, add diced mushrooms and cook until soft. Pour in the wine and cream, add salt and pepper, bring to a boil, return the chicken pieces to the pan and simmer all together for 5-7 minutes. Cool the sauce slightly and stir in the yolks one at a time. Place the finished hot pasta into the sauce, mix well and immediately place on plates, garnishing with herbs.

Whatever recipe you choose, carbonara pasta is always very quick, simple and unforgettably delicious.

Recipe ingredients for 2-3 servings

Cost of ingredients as of 04/23/17: 400 rubles

Carbonara pasta prepared at home turns out just as well, and often better than restaurant. The main thing is to choose the right ingredients and follow simple rules for preparing this dish.

I want to show you how to cook classical carbonara pasta, in which no bacon, cream or herbs.

The classic recipe assumes that only:

• Long types of pasta made from durum wheat: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, bucatini, bavette, tagliatelle;
• Dry-cured unsmoked pork guanciale (Italian guanciale - dry-dried pork cheeks) or pancetta (Italian pancetta, literally “brisket”);
• Hard cheeses Pecorino Romano (Italian: Pecorino Romano), (Italian: Parmigiano Reggiano) or a mixture thereof;
• Fresh chicken eggs;
• Olive oil, black pepper and salt.

Ingredients for classic carbonara

Making classic pasta carbonara. Step-by-step recipe with photos:

1. Pour water into the pan at the rate of 1 liter of water per 100 grams of pasta. The recipe calls for 250 g of pasta, so pour 2.5 liters. We do not add salt. There will be enough dry-cured brisket for the entire dish.
   Place a dry frying pan over medium heat and add peppercorns.
   Heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring once a minute.
   
2. Drain the pepper onto a regular or paper towel. Cover and carefully crush it with a rolling pin or other available items.
   Pour the crushed pepper into a plate. You'll need it a little later.
   
3. Trim the skin from the breast and discard.
   Cut the meat into small strips approximately 1 cm wide.
   Peel 3-4 cloves of garlic. Crush with the back of the knife.
   Grate 40-50 g of Parmesan on a fine grater.
   
4. Wash 4 chicken eggs with soap. Let's prepare three deep plates.
   Now to prepare the sauce you need to separate two yolks from the eggs. Add one whole egg.
   We put 2 more eggs aside. The yolks from them will be used to decorate the finished portions.
   
   
5. Take a fork and beat the eggs until smooth.
   Add a couple of good pinches of grated Parmesan, a couple of small pinches of pepper and mix thoroughly.
   
6. If the water in the pan boils, then add the pasta.
   Find the cooking time on the package and cook minus 2 minutes from it. I chose bavette and cooked for about 6 minutes.
   The best way to check the readiness of the paste is to taste it on the tooth. It should be al dente, slightly firm inside.
   
7. Place the frying pan over medium heat.
   Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
   Add dry-cured brisket and garlic cloves. Mix.
   After 3-4 minutes, when the garlic changes color to golden, remove it from the pan and throw it away. It has already done its job, giving its aroma to the oil.
   After another minute, turn off the heat under the frying pan.
   If the pasta is ready, remove the pan from the heat.
   
8. Place the frying pan and saucepan.
   Use kitchen tongs, a spaghetti spoon or a fork and scoop the pasta out of the pan and into the pan. Mix.
   Drain a mug of water from the pan.
   
   
9. Grab a plate of eggs and cheese. Whisk the contents again with a fork and pour into the pan.
   Mix the pasta and sauce thoroughly.
   Add about 100 ml of pasta water. Water will give the future sauce the desired structure, juiciness and allow it to be evenly distributed over the surface of the pasta.
   Stir again.
   Classic carbonara pasta is ready
   
10. Place the desired amount of pasta into a plate.
    Add grated Parmesan and sprinkle generously with crushed black pepper.
    Place the egg yolk on top of the carbonara.
    Buon appetito!
    

Nutritional value (BJU) and calorie content of carbonara pasta

Nutritional value (BJU):

Weight of ingredients:

Detailed nutritional supplements and calorie content

Nutritional value of the recipe:

Calorie content and energy value of the recipe:

To make carbonara pasta according to the classic recipe, don't change the ingredients which are presented in the recipe. You can only change the type of pasta.

How to get sanctioned meat and cheese?

Be prepared to walk through large grocery stores to find ingredients. Thus, Parmigiano-Rigiano cheese, dry-cured pancetta and guanciale are sanctioned products (for 2017).

In Yekaterinburg, I found dry-cured brisket and one-year-old Parmesan in a shopping center near the circus. Of course, there was no Parmigiano-Rigiano and pancetta from Italy, but what I chose was closer to the original than young Lithuanian djugas and boiled-smoked brisket from a local meat processing plant (no offense to the Lithuanians and the local meat processing plant).
In your city, I advise you to look for ingredients for carbonara in stores that target people with above-average incomes or in online stores.

I found a picture that clearly shows which part of the pig is used to make pancetta, prosciutto, guanciale, etc. (clickable)

Why heat black pepper?

It is not necessary to heat and crush black peppercorns. You can use freshly ground. The difference will be in taste and aroma. Roasted peppers will open up and give the dish a delicious spicy kick. And of course it will fill everything around with a gorgeous smell. During frying, the entire apartment will be saturated with the amazing aroma of pepper.

Another advantage of heated peppers is that after heat treatment, their structure becomes crispy. In this state, it is easily crushed by the teeth and does not get stuck in the teeth. And it crunches great too

How to control the thickness of carbonara sauce

Eggs and cheese are the basis of a rich sauce and the same creamy taste, without cream. Combine the amount of yolk and white. Find your preferred sauce consistency.

For me, the ideal sauce so far is 2 yolks and one whole egg per 250 g of pasta.

I also controlled the consistency of the sauce with the water in which the pasta was cooked. To top it off, I added 1 whole yolk per serving.

The most important thing when mixing sauce and pasta prevent eggs from curdling. To do this, before mixing with eggs and cheese, remove the pan with pasta from the heat for 2-3 minutes, and add water from the pan while mixing.

One more thing. Preferably cook as much pasta as you can eat at once. Carbonara pasta should be eaten hot. After a night in the refrigerator, the taste of the dish will no longer be the same.

My recipe experience

Classic Ingredients:

• Spaghetti – 350 g
• Guanciale – 120 g
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Eggs – 3 pcs.
• Pecorino – 50 g
• Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper

Number of servings: 4

How to prepare Roman pasta carbonara:

1. Cut the guanciale into ½ cm strips.
2. Place the strips in a frying pan over the heat with olive oil. Add garlic.
3. Fry until the garlic begins to change color and discard it.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and grated pecorino cheese.
5. Boil salted water in a saucepan. Cook spaghetti in it until al dente.
6. Drain the water and add the spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale. Add eggs and cheese there. Mix well.
7. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and serve hot.

This way you will prepare an authentic classic Roman pasta carbonara. The same pasta that Italians prepare.

How traditional carbonara pasta is prepared in Italy, Russia, USA, UK and France

Widespread use outside of Italy has led to changes in the original recipe. This is how different countries prepare their pasta carbonara.

The ingredients of the original recipe are replaced with familiar, favorite and more accessible components of one or another cuisine of the world. For example, they add cream, herbs, replace dry-cured pork with smoked pork, or add wine.

Photo source: ria.ru. View as

You already know how to cook classic carbonara pasta.

You will find out where the recipe came from, and I will also tell you about 7 myths and several facts that are associated with this dish.

It's up to you to decide what kind of carbonara pasta will be on the table. Choose, cook and try.

Italians know a lot about delicious food, which is why they have so many different dishes that are already loved by the whole world. Among them, the leader is, of course, pasta, the recipes for which are simply countless. Let's look at how to prepare Carbonara pasta, because it is one of the most popular among its “colleagues”.

The classic recipe involves the use of some ingredients that not everyone has heard of and are quite difficult to find in stores - these are pancetta and pecorino.

Therefore, we will prepare a dish with bacon and regular hard cheese.

For the dish you will need:

• 130 grams of cheese (preferably Parmesan);
• two eggs;
• olive oil – 20 milliliters;
• 200 grams of spaghetti;
• spices to taste;
• 140 grams of any bacon.

Cooking process:

1. Beat the eggs into a deep bowl, mix well with a whisk, add seasonings (for example, salt and pepper). Then we put half of the cheese there, which we grated in advance.
2. Mix the remaining grated cheese with ground black pepper in a separate container.
3. Place the spaghetti in boiling water and cook until almost done, they should be slightly firm.
4. Cut the bacon into rectangular pieces and fry in a frying pan in olive oil.
5. Add the mixture of eggs and cheese to it and heat the sauce.
6. Place the pasta on a dish, pour the bacon sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Add mushrooms to the recipe

At home, pasta can be made not only according to the traditional recipe, but also with other products. For example, you can add mushrooms. Champignons are ideal.

Required ingredients:

• one small onion;
• 300 grams of spaghetti;
• seasonings to your taste;
• two tablespoons of butter;
• 0.2 liters of cream;
• 250 grams of champignons;
• 150 grams of bacon.

Cooking process:

1. We cut the mushrooms into slices, chop the onion into small squares and send both components to fry until a beautiful golden color.
2. Add cream and various spices as desired and cook for about five minutes to make the mixture thicker.
3. Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry it in butter.
4. Boil the spaghetti until cooked and place on plates. Place the bacon on top and then pour the sauce over the dish.

Step-by-step preparation with ham

Homemade Carbonara pasta is not necessarily prepared with bacon; it can be replaced with ham.

Of course, the taste will change slightly, but it certainly won’t get any worse.

Required Products:

• three eggs;
• 200 grams of ham;
• spoon of olive oil;
• half a pack of spaghetti;
• 0.2 liters of cream;
• 100 grams of Parmesan.

Cooking process:

1. The bacon needs to be chopped. It's best if you turn it into small sticks. Then fry them with oil.
2. Separately mix the cream with spices and grated cheese, pour the resulting mass into the bacon.
3. Heat well so that the sauce thickens a little, add the already boiled pasta and stir to evenly distribute the cream and cheese. After this, the dish is ready to serve.

Carbonara pasta with chicken in creamy sauce

Do you want to cook an interesting, rich and, most importantly, not too expensive dinner? Carbonara pasta with cream and chicken is an excellent solution.

Ingredients for the dish:

• 300 grams of spaghetti;
• half fillet;
• 0.1 liters of cream;
• cheese – 50 grams;
• seasonings - to taste;
• eggs - three pieces;
• spoon of vegetable oil.

Cooking process:

1. We send the pasta to cook until almost done.
2. Cut the chicken into cubes, sprinkle with selected seasonings and fry in vegetable oil.
3. Mix eggs with cream, grated cheese and, of course, don’t forget about spices.
4. Add pasta to the already fried chicken, pour cream sauce over everything, mix and simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes.

No added cream

Required Products:

• one egg;
• seasonings;
• about 50 grams of cheese;
• about 60 grams of bacon;
• 200 grams of spaghetti.

Cooking process:

1. Beat the egg, add seasonings of your choice and mix.
2. Let the spaghetti cook, and at this time chop the bacon and fry it.
3. When the pasta is ready, pour the egg mixture over it, stir and let sit for a while until the sauce warms up.
4. Place bacon on top and sprinkle the dish with grated cheese.

Cooking in a slow cooker

Required Products:

• two eggs;
• seasonings;
• 0.1 kg cheese;
• 0.2 liters of cream;
• paste – 0.2 kg;
• 150 grams of bacon;
• half a liter of water.

Cooking process:

1. Start the “Baking” mode. Place chopped bacon on the bottom of the bowl and fry it for about 15 minutes until golden brown. It is better not to add oil, since the meat is already fatty.
2. Then pour in the cream, add the spices, mix and cook for about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes thicker.
3. Add spaghetti broken in half and cover everything with water. Continue in the same mode for another 20 minutes.
4. After this time, mix the resulting composition again, switch the mode to “Pilaf” and prepare the dish until the end of the program.
5. Before serving, place one egg yolk and grated cheese on top of the pasta.

Carbonara pasta with minced meat

Ingredients for the dish:

• seasonings to taste;
• 0.2 liters of cream;
• 0.1 kg cheese;
• 350 grams of minced meat;
• 150 grams of pasta;
• three yolks.

Cooking process:

1. Let the pasta boil, and at this time prepare the sauce.
2. The selected minced meat must be fried, while kneading it with a fork or spatula during the process so that there are no lumps.
3. Mix the yolks separately, add pre-grated cheese and spices to your taste.
4. Add spaghetti to the minced meat, pour in the egg mixture, mix and simmer the dish over low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya

Required Products:

• three eggs;
• 120 grams of bacon;
• small onion;
• any seasonings;
• parsley;
• 0.15 kg pasta;
• two tablespoons of olive oil;
• 120 grams of Parmesan.

Cooking process:

1. First, chop the onion in any way and fry it in oil.
2. Then add strips of bacon to it and continue to keep the ingredients on the fire until it becomes crispy.
3. Boil the pasta until almost done, add to the bacon and stir.
4. Grind the cheese on a fine grater, beat in the eggs, add salt and pepper.
5. We wait for the pasta to cool a little and combine it with the egg mixture. Serve garnished with finely chopped herbs.

In addition to these recipes, there are many other options for making pasta. You can change the ingredients and thus find for yourself the ideal taste combination of quality pasta with other meat and vegetable additives.

I think that pasta carbonara will appeal to many, given our genetic love for eating lard. A classic Italian dish - Pasta alla carbonara.

Usually this is spaghetti - pasta with a round cross-section, about 2 mm in diameter, and, as a rule, more than 15 cm in length. Thin spaghetti is called “spaghettini”, and thicker ones are called “spaghettoni”. For spaghetti, as a rule, oil-based sauces are prepared, which evenly linger on the pasta, literally “sticking” to it. But it is laid in layers and baked with meat sauce. However, spaghetti with chicken is good even without thick sauce.

One of these sauces is carbonara.

The sauce is prepared from small pieces (cubes, slices) of bacon, ham, and brisket. But this is due to the lack of Italian guanciale in wide sale.

Real carbonara sauce is made from guanciale - dry-cured pork cheeks, then the pasta is obtained most correctly.

The word guanciale comes from guancia - cheek. The aroma of guanciale is very strong, the texture is delicate, but more oily. The second option is pancetta, literally “brisket”). Pancetta is a fatty cut of pork belly cured in salt, spices and herbs (rosemary and sage). For carbonara sauce, fattier pieces of pancetta are used. Usually carbonara pasta is guanciale or pancetta, although the taste is completely different.

Pasta carbonara. Step by step recipe

Ingredients (2 servings)

• Spaghetti 250 gr
• Bacon (ham, pancetta, guanciale) 200 gr
• Olive oil 1 tbsp. l.
• Parmesan 30 gr
• Garlic 1 clove
• Eggs 3 pcs
• Ground black pepper, salt taste

1. Pasta carbonara has long been a tradition in Italy, especially in the central region of Lazio, of which Rome is the capital. Carbonara, so they say, was first prepared after the end of World War II, when the Allied forces brought traditional American bacon and a lot of dried egg powder to Italy.

   Ham, eggs, parmesan and garlic clove

2. Gradually, bacon was replaced with local products, powdered eggs with fresh eggs, and the art of making carbonara sauce was brought to the absolute level. Although, as far as I understand, pancetta is used only in Italy, while all over the world they use the usual bacon or smoked lard with sprouts.

   Pancetta, bacon or smoked lard with sprouts

3. It is worth saying that carbonara, like any pasta, a folk dish for the “poor,” has a strong aroma and high calorie content. Carbonara sauce is not used with short and curly pasta. The most common pasta is spaghetti. Spaghetti carbonara, if you will.

   The most common pasta is spaghetti

4. The spaghetti for this pasta is of the highest quality. Firstly, you are cooking for yourself, and secondly, good spaghetti “holds” the sauce much better. Well, thirdly, don’t get used to eating consumer goods.
5. In principle, you need to be an expert to distinguish good spaghetti from “folk” ones. I'll give you one piece of advice: look at the spaghetti. Good spaghetti has a light, matte-rough surface, which after cooking holds the sauce much better. The glossy surface of the spaghetti will cause the spaghetti to simply float in the sauce. It is enough to go to a fairly large store and visually compare packs of different pasta.
6. Boil the spaghetti in lightly salted water until al dente. Usually the time is indicated on the package. It is better not to break spaghetti into pieces, as is often done, because... They don't fit into the pan right away. Don't be afraid, after a minute the spaghetti will be completely immersed in the boiling liquid.

   Boil spaghetti in lightly salted water until al dente.

7. In a frying pan, fry two peeled and crushed garlic cloves in heated olive oil. The purpose of the garlic is to flavor the oil, then the garlic must be removed and discarded.

   In a frying pan, fry two peeled and crushed garlic cloves in heated olive oil.

8. Cut bacon (ham, pancetta) into cubes or strips.

   Cut bacon (ham, pancetta) into cubes

9. Next, fry in olive oil. Cook until the bacon bits begin to crust and crisp slightly.
10. Empty the contents of one egg into a deep bowl and add two yolks, carefully separating the whites.

    Empty the contents of one egg into a deep bowl and add two yolks

11. Using a fork, stir the eggs until smooth. Then add pepper to taste and mix again.

    Using a fork, stir the eggs until smooth.

12. Grate Parmesan on a fine grater, or chop in any convenient way.

    Grate Parmesan cheese on a fine grater

13. Combine the egg mixture and Parmesan and mix well with a fork.