The Corporate Cookbook

About This Recipe:

What I love about spaghetti carbonara is that there are only 5 ingredients, and the sauce is made from just eggs and Pecorino cheese. No milk, cream, or butter is actually used- who knew?! The residual heat from the spaghetti cooks the eggs with low enough heat to prevent them from scrambling. Traditionally guanciale is used, but that can be hard to find so pancetta works just fine. You could also use grated Parmesan, but I prefer the traditional Pecorino because it has a stronger flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (4 servings)

-1 lb spaghetti
-4 oz pancetta, diced
-4 eggs + 2 egg yolks
-4 oz grated Pecorino Romano (1/2 cup)
-Pepper

Instructions (25 minutes) 

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, brown the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until fully cooked (about 5 minutes.) Pour out any excess oil if desired, and let cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Mix in the Pecorino cheese and season with pepper.
4. Once the spaghetti is done, add the spaghetti to the skillet with the pancetta (with the heat turned off.) Reserve the pasta water to add to the sauce.
5. Pour in the egg and cheese mixture, and vigorously toss the spaghetti to create the sauce. Add 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water to the skillet and continue tossing until the sauce comes together. Continue adding the pasta water in small increments until you reach your desired consistency.