Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Roman Spaghetti Carbonara
Some say spaghetti carbonara emerged after WWII, thanks in part to American soldiers and their packets of MRE eggs. Others say the name is drawn from “carbone,” or charcoal—a reference to the dish's complexion thanks to a copious amount of pepper. Whatever the roots, this brighter take on carbonara came from Pipero Roma, a white table cloth restaurant in Rome. Their secret: Egg yolks are whisked until cooked and slightly foamy creating a sauce that is much lighter in texture than most carbonara recipes. Mixing the yolks with water and cornstarch ensures the cheese won't clump up when tossed with the pasta.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t substitute bacon for the pancetta. The smokiness of the bacon will overwhelm the cleaner flavors of the egg-based sauce.
15 minutes
Ingredients
-
3
ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
-
1¾
cups water
Directions
-
01In a 10-inch skillet over medium, cook the pancetta, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Measure out and reserve 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat; if needed, supplement with olive oil. Set the pancetta and fat aside.
Pardon the interruption
You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe
JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1
and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.
GET DIGITAL & PRINTReviews
March 12, 2023
Excellent for such a simple recipe
Husband asks for this dish at least a couple times a month. We love it as well as our whole family.
November 2, 2022
MoraisD
This recipe was wonderful. I used half the cornstarch as my pasta water was concentrated/starchy for binding the sauce.
February 16, 2024
How Many?
How many people is this expected to serve? Number of servings would be really nice for all of your recipes, Chris.
October 27, 2022
Too rich!
I had high hopes for this carbonara. In the end it was all too rich and too much. Six egg yolks? Maybe three, but six? And the pancetta flavor was somehow buried, despite using more than 3 oz. diced. Next time I'll stick to one of my more traditional carbonara recipes.
December 9, 2023
Soldiers had C-Rations after WWII, not MREs
Just a quick clarification. MREs were first used in the 1980s and went to war in Panama and Desert Storm. C-Rations as well as shiploads of powdered eggs and powdered milk found their way into theaters of war in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Post war Italy is also what led to “Cafe Americano”. Italian coffee houses didn’t make percolator coffee and Americans didn’t understand espresso, to take two shots of espresso and 6 ounces of hot water and Presto! A simulacrum of Percolator coffee similar to what was brewed by the gallon by GIs. War shapes humanity for bad and good and as an army travels on its stomach, there are opportunities to diversify cuisine from both the locals and the invaders.
Become A Subscriber To Rate and Review All Our Recipes.
Please Log in or join today for $1.
Any ideas for vegetarian substitutes for the pancetta? or dont bother attempting to make this?