This Creamy Carbonara is too deliciously decadent to be this easy.
This Creamy Carbonara is made delicious by the addition of heavy cream to a classic carbonara with all its crispy pancetta, cheese, hot pasta, and that magical carbonara sauce that some people travel miles and miles to taste done right—but you don’t have to. With these easy-to-follow tips, a home cook can make a homemade carbonara that is as good as any chef’s. After all, anyone who can read can cook (and cook well). And since you’re reading aboutamom.com’s blog with all its sage advice from sage chefs like me, well, it will be one stunning Creamy Carbonara.
And my sage wisdom says that you know this will be delicious with one simple glance at the ingredient list. Every ingredient here is just loaded with flavor, from that bacon-y pancetta to that salty, umami-rich Parm. With this dish, flavor is layered upon delicious flavor, all working together and complementing one another to make this one amazing plate of pasta, my dears.
The Magic of This Creamy Carbonara Your Family Will Go Crazy For
This is the perfect recipe for anyone who, like me, loves all things sauce because this dish with the addition of cream to that already-rich carbonara sauce—it’s like it takes all that richness and says, hey, let’s add a whole CUP of cream to it and see what happens then, so to speak.
And what happens then is something magical—the addition of cream allows you to literally stretch out the delicious experience of carbonara sauce into something truly velvety and succulent.
What I love about carbonara already, you see, is the sauce that is created by the stirring of the eggs into the hot pasta. It’s literally like an egg custard meets a Hollandaise sauce meets the most delicious white pasta cream sauce you’ve ever tasted. Now, combine that with the magic of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese all whisked together in your still-sizzling skillet from sautéing your pancetta, and, well, you’re in for one gourmand taste experience, to say the least.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Carbonara is a dish that eats very well. I mean, it’s dazzling delicious on the day of service, but you’d better eat up. It’s most delicious on the day of service. However, being that I used to date a guy who worked at Olive Garden (and now teaches poetry at Harvard!), I have a few tricks up my sleeve for keeping this pasta in top quality for a few days. Simply put all leftover pasta and sauce into one plastic bag and lay it on its side in your refrigerator or on a plate in your refrigerator. And reheat it slowly, over a gently bubbling double boiler—or, if you’re one of those blessed individuals who has a sous vide machine, you can simply place it in there to gently bubble its way to perfectly reheated deliciousness again.
Serving Suggestions
I would serve this with some crispy bread and some equally fantastic sides, so the carbonara won’t make them feel all upstaged and whatnot. How about this stunning Butter Lettuce Salad with Goat Cheese and Peaches and these elegant and delicious Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms on the side? For dessert, this stunning Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting tastes so powdery, so tender, and so amazingly delicious that you and your family will adore it.
If you love this Creamy Carbonara recipe, try this recipe for a real, authentic Carbonara, like they whip up in Naples, Italy. Or, perhaps you’d like to try my favorite recipe for pasta on aboutamom.com—this feast of a pasta dish of Baked Spaghetti.
Creamy Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 6 ounces pancetta chopped
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pancetta and cook until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Remove pancetta and set aside.
- In the same skillet, reduce heat to low and pour in heavy cream, heating gently. Whisk in egg yolks and half of the Parmesan cheese until well combined. Season with black pepper.
- Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet. Toss well to coat the pasta in the cream sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a little reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency.
- Stir in the cooked pancetta. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and additional pepper if needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Leave a Comment