Spaghetti Carbonara with Peppered Bacon
Updated: Feb 17
This classic Roman pasta with Romano and Parmesan cheeses is made even better with peppered bacon. Even with high-quality cheeses, this dish costs around $6 to serve 2-4
Ingredients
Spaghetti Carbonara is a brilliant dish because you probably have most (or all) you need to make it in your refrigerator and pantry: dried spaghetti, Parmesan and Romano cheese, eggs, and bacon. That's all. This recipe costs around $6 for 2-4 servings.
Cheese
While you can save money using cheaper cheeses, real Italian cheeses are inexpensive in warehouse stores like Sam's Club and Costco. Buying the bulk Italian cheese is much better if you can use a 1-2 pound block of cheese in 3 months. While you can find parmesan cheese anywhere, finding Pecorino (sheep's milk Romano) is difficult. I found affordable Pecorino Romano cheese in only two places: Costco and Sam's Club. Sometimes, they have a block of hard cheese, and sometimes it is pre-grated. The good news about the pre-grated cheese is that it contains no additives or anti-caking agents. This means it melts wonderfully. This week, I found only pre-grated Pecorino Romano at $11/pound in a one-pound container. I can easily use this in the 3 months (or more) it will keep. A pound of Pecorino is 4.5 cups grated.
The recipe calls for 1/2 c. of Pecorino and 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Pecorino cheese commonly available in the U.S. is too salty to use exclusively in the dish. You get a better result if you mix half Pecorino and half Parmesan.
As for the quality of the cheese, this dish is around $6 for four servings with good bronze-cut pasta and real Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano. Buy the good cheese if you use a little over a pound in three months. If you don't, you can find a good Parmesan at Aldi for $4 for 8 ounces and an acceptable Romano at Walmart for around the same price. This is cheaper than buying the good stuff at Costco or Sam's, but not that much. I use 1-2 pounds of Pecorino and Parmigiano every 2-3 months, so buying the larger amount works for me. But the big picture: the cheaper cheese still makes a good dish, albeit a less creamy one. Additionally, you may need to add salt.
Pasta
I use spaghetti in this dish, as they do in Rome. I try to use good spaghetti, which is
bronze die-cut spaghetti. The pasta is rough, like sandpaper, because it is produced with bronze cutters, unlike Teflon. It makes much starchier water, and the sauce "clings" to it in a way that it doesn't with lesser-quality pasta. I used Priano spaghetti, which costs $2 per pound at Aldi. Alternative products are available at Walmart and Target (Rao's and Bettergoods) for around the same price. Bronze-cut pasta is about twice the price of bare-bones economy pasta, but it's worth it in this recipe. I use bare-bones economy pasta a lot, and if that's all that is available, use that. But if you can find reasonably priced bronze-cut pasta, use that. The quality of the pasta is worth an extra $0.50 in this recipe.
Bacon
Many traditionalists believe you should only use unsmoked Italian pork cheek or pork belly (Pancetta) to make Spaghetti Carbonara. These products are hard to
find in the US and very expensive if you do find them. American cooks have three choices: 1) smoked bacon, 2) salt pork, 3) uncured pork belly. Uncured pork belly is hard to find, but it is an option. Salt pork is a great option, but the salt level can be unpalatable, particularly when combined with the Pecorino cheese. If you use salt pork, soak it in water for an hour or so to remove the salt. Most American cooks opt to use bacon.
Aldi carries excellent applewood-smoked bacon peppered for $6 for 1 1/2 pounds. This recipe's amount (4 ounces) translates to around $1. This bacon keeps well in the refrigerator and is delicious and crisp-cooked for breakfast. I always try to have a little on hand.
Foolproof Spaghetti Carbonara
Step One - Set Up
Bring 1-2 liters of water to a boil in a large sauté pan or other wide and relatively shallow pan. While you normally cook pasta in 5-6 liters of water and 1-2 tablespoons of salt, for Spaghetti Carbonara, use around a third of that with two teaspoons of salt. You want water with concentrated starch, so use less water and salt it generously. Your pasta water should taste like seawater. Use more salt, if necessary. Bring the water to a boil and add eight oz of dried spaghetti (or other long pasta).
Step Two - Prepare Egg/Cheese Sauce
Gently beat one whole egg and two egg yolks together until smooth. Add the grated cheeses and blend. The batter should have the consistency of the cake batter. Set aside.
Step Three - Brown Bacon and Deglaze Pan
While your pasta water is heating, put your bacon in a sauté pan and then put the pan over low-medium heat. Cook the bacon slowly to render out fat gently. It will take around 8-9 minutes to brown and crisp up the bacon, but keep it a little chewy. Remove the bacon to a plate.
Put one ladle of pasta water into the pan with the bacon drippings (if there is a lot of bacon fat, remove half of it). Deglaze the pan and stir.
Step Four - Add Pasta and Remove from Heat
With a pasta spoon, lift the pasta out of the water and put it into the sauté pan. It's okay if pasta water gets in the pan—it's supposed to. Stir the pasta and add a ladle of pasta water. Stir and take off the heat.
Step Five - Add Eggs and Cheese to Pasta
Pour a ladle (1/3 c.) of pasta water very slowly into the egg mixture while beating it with a whisk. When the egg/cheese mixture is smooth, pour it over the pasta and stir. Add another ladle (1/3 c.) of pasta water and stir until thick and smooth. Add 1/2 the reserved bacon.
Step Six - Serve
Serve immediately, sprinkle with remaining bacon and extra Pecorino cheese.
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