Silky, rich carbonara with no cream at all, just egg yolks, Parmesan, crispy pancetta and a splash of pasta water. It’s on the table in about 20 minutes. It’s the meal I make most on hard days, and once you’ve got the hang of the one tricky step, it’s as easy as dinner gets.
Updated on 29th September 2026 with how I actually make it on hard days, carbonara for one, and a no-scramble bowl method.
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Why You’ll Love This Tagliatelle Carbonara
- About 20 minutes, one pan and one pot.
- Creamy without cream. The sauce comes from yolks, cheese and pasta water.
- Six ingredients, most of which you can keep in the fridge or freezer.
- It scales easily, from one bowl for you to a table of four.
From My Kitchen
Carbonara is one I make on my harder days. It started off being difficult to learn how to make, but once I got the hang of it, it became really quite simple. It’s something I can throw together really quickly. I make it for myself, and it’s definitely one of those hard-day meals.
I always keep smoked pancetta in the fridge. It has a long date on it, so it usually stays good for a week. When I buy bacon, I only really buy streaky, which I think is better for carbonara if I don’t have pancetta. I separate it into three-rasher packets, wrap them in foil and freeze them. If I ever want carbonara and I’ve no pancetta, I take out three rashers. Ideally I’ll take them out the night before, but they defrost pretty quickly out of the fridge anyway.
What This One Asks Of You
- About 20 minutes, and you’ll be at the hob for most of it.
- Six ingredients: pasta, egg yolks, Parmesan, pancetta, garlic and black pepper.
- A pot, a frying pan and a small bowl.
- One step needs your attention: letting the pan cool before the eggs go in.
If today needs it to be easier:
- Use fresh pasta from the fridge. It cooks in about 90 seconds.
- Buy ready-cooked crispy bacon, and all you need to do is assemble it and warm it through. That’s carbonara on the table in 5 minutes.
- Keep three-rasher packets of streaky bacon in the freezer, so you’re never without the meat.
Tools You’ll Need
- A large pot for the pasta
- A non-stick frying pan big enough to toss the pasta in
- A small bowl and a fork or whisk for the eggs and cheese
- Silicone tongs for lifting and tossing the pasta
- A fine Microplane grater for the Parmesan
Ingredient Notes
- Tagliatelle: I like tagliatelle because I feel it’s got more chew to it than spaghetti. It cooks in about the same time, and I just think it looks nicer on the plate. This is the tagliatelle I use.
- Pancetta, bacon or guanciale: I have used guanciale, and I do like it, but it’s more expensive than pancetta or bacon. It’s still mostly in specialist shops I don’t tend to use, so I don’t want to go just for guanciale when I have pancetta at home in the fridge. Pancetta is what I use most of the time. If I don’t have any, the next thing I use is smoked streaky bacon.
- Egg yolks: yolks only, at room temperature so they mix smoothly with the cheese.
- Parmesan: I don’t use pre-grated Parmesan. I don’t think it has as much flavour, so I like to grate it myself. Pecorino Romano is the traditional alternative, and sharper.
- Black pepper: freshly cracked, and plenty of it.
- Pasta water: save a mugful before you drain. It’s what turns the eggs and cheese into a sauce.
- Cream: I never use cream. I’m a bit of a purist that way. You can get it beautiful, smooth and creamy with just the cheese, the egg yolks and the pasta water. There’s just no reason to use it.
How To Make Tagliatelle Carbonara
- Grate the Parmesan and whisk it with the egg yolks in a small bowl.
- Fry the pancetta with the crushed garlic in a dry non-stick pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until crisp. There’s enough fat in the pancetta, so no oil is needed. Take out the garlic.
- Turn the heat off and let the pan cool down while the pasta cooks. This is the step that stops the eggs scrambling.
- Cook the tagliatelle in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Save a mugful of the pasta water before draining, or lift the pasta straight into the pan with tongs.
- Toss the pasta through the pancetta and its fat, then add a splash of pasta water.
- Pour in the egg mixture and toss quickly until a glossy sauce coats every strand. Add more pasta water a tablespoon at a time if it needs loosening.
- Serve straight away with extra Parmesan and plenty of black pepper.
Looking for more quick dinners like this? Browse my easy pasta recipes.
Carbonara For One
I’ve made it so often that I just don’t follow a recipe. I always use two egg yolks per person, because I like the sauce to be rich. I think 100g of pasta is a good serving, and I know how to grab 100g of dried pasta by now. You just develop a feel for it. It doesn’t have to be exact, as long as it’s there or thereabouts, and the same goes for the cheese. If I’m ever making it for somebody else, I just double it or adapt it to how many I’m serving.
A starting point for one: 100g dried tagliatelle, 2 egg yolks, about 25g Parmesan and about 40g pancetta.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Sometimes I’ll make the sauce in a bowl instead. I put everything into the bowl and stir it vigorously, and the heat from the pasta, the pasta water and the hot pancetta cooks the eggs gently until they thicken. You could even set the bowl over a bain-marie if you want to cook it really gently, so you get a smooth, creamy sauce that doesn’t curdle or scramble.
- Two egg yolks per person if you like the sauce rich.
- Grate your own Parmesan.
- If you add too much pasta water, toss it over a medium heat in 10-second bursts until it thickens.
What Could Go Wrong
- It scrambles. The very first time I made carbonara, it scrambled. It’s quite a skill to get the heat just right, so the egg and Parmesan mixture cooks and thickens without scrambling. I had to make it again, which is a great way of learning. It’s not so great if you’re having a bad day and trying to get dinner on the table, but it teaches you that failure leads to success. What I changed was cooking the pancetta or bacon first, then turning off the heat and giving the pan ample time to cool down slightly. If you throw the egg mixture in while the pan’s as hot as it was for the pancetta, everything will scramble.
- The sauce is too runny: too much pasta water. Add a little more cheese and toss again.
- It’s grainy: the cheese wasn’t grated finely enough. Use a fine grater.
- It’s too salty: pancetta, cheese and salted pasta water all add up. Go easy on the salt in the pasta water.
Variations
- Rigatoni carbonara: Rigatoni is my favourite pasta shape. It really does give a lot of chew and bite, so if I don’t have tagliatelle, I’ll make rigatoni carbonara instead.
- Mushroom carbonara: swap the pancetta for mushrooms fried until golden, for a vegetarian version.
- Gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta and add a little extra pasta water, as it releases less starch.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve it really plainly in a bowl, with freshly grated Parmesan on top and lots of black pepper, and I make sure there’s plenty of sauce. If I want it more filling, I’ll add extra pancetta. Some good crusty bread works too. One thing I want to try for a special occasion is a confit egg yolk on top.
Storage & Leftovers
I don’t tend to have leftovers, because I mostly cook it for myself and eat it all in one sitting. What I do have is leftover grated Parmesan, which I keep in a small airtight container, or a ramekin with cling film over the top, and use the next day as a garnish over pasta. I usually use half a packet of pancetta per serving, so there’s always some raw pancetta left. Sometimes I’ll have carbonara again the next day, or I’ll throw it into an omelette, like my country omelette or a simple French omelette. It helps you become a better cook, not throwing anything away and making use of all your ingredients.
Cooked carbonara is best eaten straight away. If you do have some left, it’ll keep in the fridge for a day. My guide to reheating carbonara shows how to warm it through without scrambling it.
Watch How I Make It
FAQs
Traditional Roman carbonara uses guanciale, egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, black pepper and pasta water. It contains no cream, no garlic and no added herbs. Pancetta is commonly used outside Italy because it’s easier to find and delivers a similar salty flavour.
Yes. Keeping the eggs at room temperature will allow them to mix more easily with the cheese, which should be at room temperature also.
If you would like to keep it traditional, then peas should not be added. I love flavourful food, and peas can be delicious when added to your carbonara. Experiment and express yourself through your food.
Traditional carbonara uses only the yolks, but some people add whole eggs to their sauce. I prefer to use just the yolks.
Yes — but cook it for less time. It absorbs sauce quickly, so add pasta water gradually.
The pan was too hot. Always remove from heat before adding eggs.
Traditional carbonara uses no cream — the creaminess comes from eggs, cheese and pasta water. I never use it. You can get it beautiful, smooth and creamy with just the cheese, the egg yolks and the pasta water.
Yes — use vegetarian pancetta, smoked turkey bacon or sautéed mushrooms.
Carbonara is best served immediately. It thickens too much as it sits.
Pecorino Romano is traditional and sharper; Parmesan gives a smoother, milder finish. I love using both.
Fancy something lighter? My easy penne Napoli is a simple tomato sauce that’s just as quick.
Try My Other Recipes
- How to Make Perfect Pangrattato (Italian Breadcrumbs)
- Homemade Tagliatelle Amatriciana
- How To Reheat Carbonara
- Simple Tuna Pesto Pasta
- Easy Lemon Caper Pasta
Tagliatelle Carbonara
Ingredients
- 200 g tagliatelle
- 4 large egg yolks
- 50 g grated parmesan
- 80 g diced smoked pancetta
- 1 cup of pasta water
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pancetta first. Place in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat with the garlic and cook until crispy (around 5 minutes or so) There is no need to add oil, there is enough fat in the pancetta which will render down once in the pan.
- Once the pancetta starts to get some colour, add the tagliatelle to a pot of boiling well salted water and cook until al dente (usually around 10 minutes, check your pasta packet for instructions)
- When the pancetta is ready, turn off the pan and remove the garlic and set aside for a few minutes whilst the pasta continues to cook
- Whilst pasta is cooking, whisk together the egg yolks and grated parmesan with a touch of pasta water
- When pasta is ready, drain and reserve a cup of the pasta water
- Add the pasta to the pan with the pancetta and toss
- Add the egg yolk mixture and a splash of the pasta water and toss until creamy and the strands of pasta are coated in the sauce
- Serve immediately in warm bowls and finish with some fresh grated parmesan and cracked black pepper.
Notes
🛒 Shop the Recipe
Make this Tagliatelle Carbonara just like I do:
- Stellar 6000 non-stick frying pan (30cm)
- OXO silicone tongs
- Microplane zester
- Rummo tagliatelle
- Stellar 18cm stainless steel saucepan
- KitchenCraft colander
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Hi, I’m Paul, a cook and aspiring chef living with OCD, anxiety and depression. Scoffs & Feasts is where I share the low-effort meals that get me through the heavy days, and the bigger cooks that quiet my mind on the better ones. No perfect kitchens here. Let’s cook through the noise together.