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Creamy Bacon Carbonara is a classic Italian creamy pasta. Bacon, mushrooms, and onions are cooked together and tossed in a cheesy, rich egg yolk sauce for an easy 30-minute meal! A quick and easy dinner that is made in minutes!
Pasta is a weekly special in our home! If you love pasta as much as we do, try this Creamy Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, 30-Minute Carbonara, Creamy Chicken Bacon and Broccoli Ranch Pasta or one of our favorites, Creamy Pork Carnitas Pasta.
Creamy Bacon Carbonara
Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish from Rome made with egg, hard cheese, guanciale, and black pepper. I finally found a carbonara recipe that I love. The sauce is so creamy, cheesy, and so good. The best part is that the pickiest eater gobbled this down, and my other boy had seconds! It was pretty easy to throw the whole thing together. I felt like it was the perfect Sunday meal served with a side salad and garlic bread! This is the dish if you want a quick and easy delicious meal in just minutes. This creamy bacon carbonara only takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
It is simply delicious and so easy to make at home. Everyone will be raving over this incredible creamy pasta! I know many people are worried about the sauce breaking because of the egg. It was easier than I thought! Just go low and slow. It will totally work out! Once you try this recipe, you’ll want to try this easy pasta carbonara too. It’s delish!
Ingredients
Simplicity is key with this creamy bacon carbonara meal! The use of good quality ingredients is a must! For a fully traditional carbonara recipe, use pancetta instead of bacon. You can find the exact measurements below in the recipe card.
- Eggs: All you need is the yolks!
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Half and half will work, but for a rich, creamy blend, heavy whipping cream is my preference.
- Parmesan: Use a sharp, hard cheese of parmesan that is shaved instead of grated for a less gritty texture on your pasta.
- Parsley: Fresh and chopped up very fine, this adds color and some fragrant garnish.
- Salt: Season to your liking.
- Red Pepper Flakes: The red pepper adds a little kick of heat to the recipe.
- Bacon: A good thick-cut bacon or even a high-quality standard cut of bacon will make a difference. You can also use pancetta which is the traditional meat in the dish.
- Mushrooms: This is optional, but I love mushrooms and can’t leave them out.
- Onion: This is optional but adds a great flavor.
- Pasta: Linguine is my favorite, but spaghetti will work great too.
Creamy Bacon Carbonara Recipe
This creamy bacon carbonara recipe is simple to make but is a little delicate. Don’t try to rush through this recipe! The eggs will scramble if your pan is too hot, so make sure to take your time so you don’t end up with a scrambled mess. It is not a hard recipe. You just have to be a little patient.
- Beat: Beat the eggs, cream, parmesan, parsley, salt, and red pepper together in a bowl.
- Fry: Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside.
- Saúte: With 1 -2 Tablespoons of bacon grease, sauté the onion and the mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden.
- Drain: Drain the pasta, and while it’s still warm, add the onions and mushrooms.
- Combine: Pour the cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. Do this on low heat, or you will make scrambled eggs.
- Garnish: Serve with additional parmesan.
Tips and Tricks
This creamy bacon carbonara is really a simple sauce with noodles. You are gong to fall in love with how much flavor it has! Here are a few tips to get the most out of this recipe.
- Authentic Carbonara: If you want to make this a more authentic carbonara recipe mix the cream and use pancetta or guanciale which is a pork jowl. You can find at most specialty Italian supermarkets or in some unique grocery stores. Just keep in mind that when substituting the heavy cream it will result in a dish that may be a bit drier, hence not quite a creamy carbonara.
- Don’t Scramble Eggs: Have you sauce completely prepared before starting on the pasta. You will want your pasta hot when making the egg mixture. You will not want to cook the sauce or you will make scrambled eggs. When stirring the egg mixture into the pasta it needs to be quickly but not hot enough to scramble the egg.
- Add Protein: A great way to make this a filling and well rounded meal is to add a protein like chicken, shrimp or ham.
- Double the Sauce: I doubled the sauce recipe and I saved a bit of the pasta water, just in case my sauce got thicker than I liked – simply add a bit if you need.
Storing Leftovers
You can definitely store your leftover creamy bacon carbonara. The key is reheating it really slow so that you don’t risk breaking the sauce. I would not recommend freezing this dish because of the cream in the sauce. Here is how to store and reheat your dish.
- In the Refrigerator: You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: When reheating, warm over low heat until the sauce is warm. You may need to add a tablespoon of milk or cream to keep a creamy consistency.
More Italian Recipes
You are going to fall in love with this carbonara recipe, and I can guarantee you will want to try some more Italian recipes. Here are a few of my favorites that are simple, quick, and always a crowd pleaser!
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Creamy Bacon Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup cream or heavy cream
- 1/3 cup parmesan
- 1 tsp parsley freshly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 3 mushrooms chopped (optional)
- 1 small onion chopped (optional)
- 1/2 pound pasta
Instructions
- Beat the eggs, cream, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and red pepper together in a bowl.
- Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside.
- With 1 -2 Tablespoons of bacon grease, sauté the onion and the mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden.
- Drain the pasta, and while it's still warm, add the onions and mushrooms.
- Pour the cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. Do this on low heat, or you will make scrambled eggs.
- Stir in the crumbled bacon and serve with additional parmesan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nice.i used whole eggs
Very bland recipe had to add some seasoning to flavour aside from salt. Simple enough, will definitely suggest garlic powder and onion powder to add something it was missing
Hi Samantha, thank you for your comment. I’m sorry it tasted bland, I’m glad you thought to use garlic powder and onion powder. Did you add pepper flakes? Those always give a punch of flavor for me, and the bacon drippings usually add tons of flavor!
this looks delicious and i was considering making it
BUT
have i misread or have you miswritten?
does 1/2 lb pasta really feed 6 people?
Not enough liquid, too dry, had to add water from the pasta
What kind of mushrooms do you use? Fresh/canned? Portabella/white? I like all mushrooms but just wantinf to know your preference 🙂 Can’t wait to make this! Thank you in advance!
Hi!! Thanks so much for wanting to try this recipe! You can use Portabella but really white, cremini, or button mushrooms work too!
Delicious recipe! I doubled it and wasn’t over powering. I did substitute a shallot for the onion and added peas at the end. My husband loved it, and we have leftovers for tomorrow. Looking forward to trying your other recipes.
I made this last night and it was incredible! I used egg yolks only and did not double the cream sauce, and it tasted great.
About to try this carbonara tonight. Sauce is slightly different from what I’m used to. Looking forward to trying it.
I don’t see where the bacon is added, when it’s cooked, yes. But not when it’s added to the pasta.
Thank you for noticing that! You add in the crumbled bacon as the lest step. It has been fixed. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Wish the ingredient listed egg yolks vs eggs. I used the whole egg. Hope it turns out okay.
This was fantastic and easy! Will definitely make again.
Delicious and so easy. The best carbonara recipe I have used. Doubled the sauce as suggested and it was perfect. On a side note, I paired this with salad and your strawberry vinaigrettte and was told it was like eating in a restaurant.
I made this the other night and it was fantastic. I do agree about the red pepper flakes, go easy if you’re not huge into spice! Overall a really tasty meal, thank you!!
I am writing this as I sit on the couch while my family and I enjoy this fabulous pasta!!!
I doubled the bacon (my kids lOVE bacon) it was perfect. I was nervous to add the egg bcuz i was worried i’d somehow mess this is up. I literally had enough to make this recipe once and it came out wonderful.
I am SO happy i found this gem. xoxo
Is it supposed to be egg yolks only. I read directions and used whole eggs – hope I don’t poison family! Added more pasta water and kept on low to cook through. Added spinach at end. Yummy!
Hi! I’m making this for valentine’s day with a steak. So…egg yolks only seems to be the way to go?
Happy valentine’s day this friday y’all.
Hey Leanne, if you want to use just yolks I would say use 4 yolks rather than 2 whole eggs! Happy Valentine’s Day!