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20-Minute Spaghetti Carbonara

By Sarah On   |  Updated:

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This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.— It’s on the table in only 20 minutes!

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

Hi. I like noodles.

Noodles filled with ‘zee bacon, parmesan, and more bacon.

In other news…..→

YOU GUYS. I put on my super-big-girl pants and made a fancy-schmancy spaghetti carbonara! I know right?! I totally felt like a pro Italian chef whipping up a pretty carbonara like nobody’s business.

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

Then….well, I felt like the world’s biggest carb-holic stuffing noodles into my face precisely 19.25 minutes later..

Even more so because of the fact that I tested and photographed this pasta both times at only 10am in the morning….and somehow spaghetti carbonara ended up being my second breakfast those days….or was it an early lunch?

Oh, boy…reading that back again sounds pretty bad….but those of you who have had spaghetti carbonara must know exactly what I’m talking about right?!

Don’t answer that. It’ll just make us both look bad.

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

P.S. I’m in love with the word “carbonara” it sounds like CARB-O-MANIA.

And yeah, that’s kinda exactly what this pasta is.

Hi, fat pants. Good to see you again.

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

So I’m dearly hoping that nearly all of you peeps have had a spaghetti carbonara at SOME point in your life. (you’d be insane not to want to) If so, then you know exactly what you’re in for today. Hot spaghetti noodles in a traditional rich, creamy egg sauce, (more on that below) loads of nutty Parmesan cheese, and a truck-load of crispy bacon pieces.

Totally not diet-food but you know what? I totally don’t care. ♥

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

Let’s talk about the sauce for the spaghetti. Traditional spaghetti carbonaras are composed of a no-cook sauce made completely from raw eggs and Parmesan cheese. Now, before you get all worried about eating raw eggs, let me explain: You’re gonna want your pasta JUST cooked and very hot right before adding the egg sauce, so make sure you timing right with this part. Immediately after your pasta is cooked (don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water!), whisk up 4 eggs with 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese. Then pour the egg sauce over the hot pasta and stir to coat. During this time the eggs and cheese will cook right into the hot pasta making the pasta perfectly creamy and cheesy. Totally safe to eat, so no stress needed about the eggs!

One thing you absolutely must do is make sure that your eggs are beaten very well before tossing with the pasta. The last thing you want is little scrambled egg pieces ending up in your carbonara. (trust me, it’s gross—I speak from experience)

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

 In the meantime, you’re gonna want to cook up some sizzly, crispy bacon, pan-fry a few cloves of garlic, and choppety-chop up some parsley to throw into that gorgeous pot of heaven. Lastly, to ensure that your pasta will be forever creamy, drizzle in 1 cup of reserved pasta cooking water.

Look at that…..oh, heavens. ♥

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

Okay, I lied. The LAST step is to grate up some more Parmesan cheese for personal sprinkling. You know iiiiiiit. 🙂

This carbonara pretty much fills up my definition of perfect. The sauce is rich and cheesy, the bacon just bein’ plain awesome, oh, oh and TWENTY MINUTES TO FACE-SHOVELING.

Or is it faceplanting? Face-diving? It’s all the same to me.

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly

 ENJOY.

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20-Minute Spaghetti Carbonara

This traditional spaghetti carbonara is rich, creamy and loaded with lots of crispy bacon and nutty Parmesan.--- It's on the table in only 20 minutes! @WholeHeavenly
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti pasta
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 8 slices bacon cooked and diced
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Additional Parmesan cheese for sprinkling optional

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package instructions and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Place pasta in a large pot and set aside for a minute.
  • Working quickly, whisk the eggs and cheese together until completely smooth. Immediately pour over hot pasta and gently stir to coat. Cover pot and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, saute garlic in oil until fragrant. Add garlic, bacon pieces, and parsley to pasta and gently toss to combine. Slowly drizzle in reserved 1 cup pasta cooking water and gently stir until pasta is creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve spaghetti carbonara immediately with additional grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below. Feel free to share a picture on Instagram and tag @wholeandheavenlyoven or hashtag it #wholeandheavenlyoven

Recipe slightly adapted from Damn Delicious.

You know you want more pasta. 😉

Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce — Julia’s Album

Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake — Gal on a Mission

Baked Butternut and Turkey Pasta Shells — Sweet Peas and Saffron

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  9. marcie says

    I’ve made carbonara…count it…only ONE time! That’s terrible, too, because we loved it! I love that I’m only 20 minutes away from awesome pasta, and your photos are gorgeous! 🙂 Pinned.

    Reply

  14. Danielle says

    I have never made spaghetti carbonara before, but that needs to change! I’d have to break out my biggest pair of stretchy pants for this one though, it wouldn’t stand a chance near me. Pinned!

    Reply

  17. Mary Frances says

    These photos are so bright and vibrant! I don’t care what this is, it looks GOOD.
    Ok maybe I care a little. Me and bacon and parsley area like *this* And only 20 min?? Sign.me.up.

    Reply

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