Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe (2024)

Why I love this pasta carbonara recipe

A few months ago, Marc decided to give up dairy. He had been debating the idea for a while, but around October, he decided to really commit. Of course, my mind started workingin overdrive.

How could we possibly give up cheese, especially when we’re living in the land of cheese? I mean between France and Wisconsin we are pretty much always living in a land of cheese.

But, there is a restaurant here in Amiens that serves traditional carbonara, which is surprising because most of the carbonara here in France is cream. They serve it with a heaping garnish of chives, and it’s absolutely amazing.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

• Large stockpot
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Cast iron skillet
• Mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• Liquid measuring cup

Now let’s talk carbonara ingredients

• Bacon – traditionally, carbonara uses pancetta, but I’ve found it’s equally good with bacon so that’s usually what I use.
• Eggs – this is where we get our creamy sauce. The eggs get tempered with hot pasta water, which heats them to a safe temperature while preventing them from “cooking”.
• Pasta – you don’t need to use spaghetti, just make sure you cook your pasta to al dente in salted water for optimal flavor
• Lemon – normally, carbonara pasta has cheese added, but I’ve found that a little zing of lemon juice really kicks up the flavor a bit without using cheese.

How to make pasta carbonara

Cook your pasta. Boil a large pot of salted water and add the pasta. Let the pasta cook for the time indicated on the package for al dente.

Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. I like to use a liquid measuring cup or mug to pull the water out. You could also use a ladle.

When the pasta is cooked, drain the extra water. If your other ingredients aren’t ready, drizzle with olive oil to prevent it from sticking.

Crisp up the bacon. While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet to medium-high. Add the chopped bacon and let it cook until crispy, stirring as needed. Next, add the garlic and allow it to cook in the bacon grease until fragrant.

If you need more time, turn off the heat to prevent burning while you’re preparing the other ingredients. Turn the heat back on just before tossing your pasta and egg mixture.

Temper the eggs. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice and salt. Then slowly whisk in most of the hot pasta water. This will “cook” the eggs and prevent them from scrambling with being added to the pan.

Toss everything together. Add the pasta and egg mixture to the pan with the bacon. Stir everything together and allow the eggs to coat the pasta. As it starts to heat, the sauce should start to thicken.

Garnish and serve. If needed, adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Then, garnish each serving with a generous portion of fresh chives.

FAQs and tips for making the best pasta carbonara

More dairy free pasta recipes:

• Sausage and peppers pasta
• Pesto pasta salad
• Dairy free alfredo sauce
• Butternut squash pasta sauce
• BLT pasta salad
• Penne bolognese

More easy dinner recipes:

• Salmon kabobs
• Turkey sloppy joes
• Butternut squash pasta
• Homemade spaghettios
• Shrimp scampi

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Published: January 11, 2021. Updated: September 20, 2022.

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