Chef Anthony Vitolo shares his carbonara recipe

guanciale

🥗Healthier: pancetta

💰Cheaper: bacon

Pancetta and bacon are more accessible substitutes, though they alter the flavor.

Pecorino Romano cheese

🥗Healthier: Parmesan cheese

💰Cheaper: Grana Padano

Parmesan and Grana Padano offer a similar texture and flavor at a lower cost.

Prepare the egg mixture by combining half of the Pecorino Romano cheese with black pepper in a bowl.

Cut the guanciale into pieces, ensuring it's a little fattier for flavor.

Heat a skillet over high heat and add the guanciale to render out the fat, cooking until crispy.

Once the guanciale is crispy, turn off the heat and reserve the rendered fat in the skillet.

Boil water and cook the spaghetti, pulling it out 3 minutes early to finish cooking in the sauce.

Add the reserved starch water to the skillet with guanciale to create the sauce base.

Add the undercooked spaghetti to the skillet and swirl it around to combine with the guanciale and starch water.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the pasta, stirring quickly to create a creamy sauce without adding cream.

Add more Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper to thicken the sauce, swirling to combine everything.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens