Express Spaghetti Carbonara (Printable)

Silky eggs, crispy bacon, and Parmesan combine in a creamy spaghetti dish ready in minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 7 oz dried spaghetti

→ Sauce

02 - 2 large eggs
03 - 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Bacon

05 - 3.5 oz bacon or pancetta, diced

→ To Serve

06 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for garnish
07 - Freshly cracked black pepper

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - Whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
04 - Add drained spaghetti to the skillet with bacon off the heat. Quickly pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Toss vigorously, adding reserved pasta water gradually until sauce is silky and coats the pasta evenly.
05 - Plate immediately and garnish with extra Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent but comes together faster than ordering delivery, which is honestly the dream.
  • There's something magical about how pasta water transforms eggs into silk—no cream needed, just physics and good timing.
02 -
  • Temperature control is everything—the skillet must be off the heat when you add the eggs, otherwise you'll get scrambled eggs instead of a silky sauce, which is a quick way to ruin the whole thing.
  • Pasta water is your secret weapon because the starch clings to the egg and creates that creamy coating without any cream involved.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you drain—this one step is the difference between creamy and dry, and it's easy to forget when you're moving fast.
  • If the sauce tightens up as it cools, a splash of warm pasta water brings it back to silky life.
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