This Spaghetti Carbonara Is The Weeknight Comfort Food You Need
Inside: Looking for a quick and kid-approved dinner? This Bacon and Eggs Spaghetti (Spaghetti Carbonara) is a 30-minute weeknight meal your family will love. Creamy, savory, and made with simple ingredients. Comfort food at its best.
Recipe At A Glance
- Ingredients: Eggs, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, bacon, garlic, spaghetti, parsley, salt
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Makes: 4 servings
There are likely dinners that you love, dinners your partner loves, and dinners that each of your kids love. Then there are the rare, magical, sweet spot dinners that everyone at the table devours. This Spaghetti Carbonara is one of those meals for us.
This isn’t a “lightened-up” or “healthier” version. It’s the real deal: creamy, savory pasta with crispy bacon, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. If calling it “Bacon and Eggs Spaghetti” might entice your kids, go for it.
I serve it with crisp green salads on the side. And without fail, everyone cleans their plate.
Ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese: Grated works best here.
- Olive oil
- Bacon: You’ll need four slices. Feel free to use work if you want it super-bacony.
- Garlic
- Spaghetti: Use regular, whole wheat, gluten free, whatever you like.
- Parsley: Fresh looks and tastes better, but feel free to use dried if that’s what you have.
- Salt
How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara
Here are three important things to keep in mind:
- Spaghetti Carbonara is all about timing: You’ll want to toss the drained pasta into the hot bacon, then add the cheese and egg mixture while tossing.
- You must save pasta water: I like to drain the pasta right into a glass Pyrex measuring cup. The pasta water is key for creating a creamier texture.
- This is best served immediately: The longer it sits, the more the sauce will absorb into the noodles and the drier it will become. You can always toss it with more pasta water to give it a refresh, but plan to serve this straight off the stove.
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Need a fast, family-friendly dinner? Bacon and Eggs Spaghetti (aka Spaghetti Carbonara) is a rich, creamy pasta dish made with crispy bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese—no cream needed! Perfect for busy weeknights and guaranteed to be a kid-pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishing
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 12 ounces spaghetti (three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- Handful of chopped fresh parsley (or dried)
- 1-2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Mix Parmesan cheese and eggs together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Set a large pot of water to boil.
- While you're waiting for the water to come to a boil, heat olive oil in a deep skillet or a Dutch oven and add bacon, stirring frequently.
- While bacon is cooking, add spaghetti to boiling water.
- Fry bacon pieces until crisp. Add garlic and cook together for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low.
- Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and immediately pour drained noodles into the pan with the bacon, tossing well to coat.
- Remove pan from heat. Add the cheese/egg mixture slowly to the spaghetti while tossing. The hot pasta will cook the eggs (but don't let them scramble!).
- Stir in some of the pasta water, a small amount of time, until you get a creamy texture.
- Add parsley and salt and toss again to coat.
- Serve immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan and parsley if desired.
Notes
*This recipe has been updated. In case you were a fan of the previous version, it called for 8 ounces of bacon and 10 ounces of spaghetti noodles (about two-thirds of a 1-pound box). Otherwise, the ingredients and measurements are the same.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 portionAmount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 759mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 19g
