Carbonara Recipes

Variants of Carbonara Recipe

Each traditional recipe has a thousand variations, and so does the recipe for authentic carbonara. For example, we have the baked carbonara, where a final gratin in the oven is added to the original recipe. Although it is true that most of the different versions are characterized by the addition or substitution of some of the ingredients.

Let’s start with the spaghetti carbonara with cream, where the egg is accompanied or replaced by liquid cream. This is a refined, creamier version with a less pronounced touch of egg.

There are also different trends in cheese: for example, some people do not like the strong taste of sheep’s cheese, and use half or even all Parmesan cheese. For example, this recipe for Pennes with Chicken Carbonara uses Parmesan cheese.

There are also different opinions about the type of pasta used for carbonara. In addition to spaghetti and continuing with the long pasta, Linguine Carbonara Recipe, foratini or fettuccine is very widespread, and they lend themselves very well to be seasoned with this rich and tasty cream.

Excellent short pastas are also used. In Rome it is common to serve rigatoni, and of course the delicious macaroni a la carbonara, which also has many supporters.

Regarding the use of meat, the guanciale, which is obtained from the dewlap of the pig, can be replaced by the pancetta, which is obtained from the fatty part of the belly, which must not be smoked or cured, and never and never cut by machine.

And changing the register, the carbonara pasta to the navy is super appetizing. It can be prepared, in turn, in numerous versions. The carbonara marina with mussels and clams, and the spaghetti carbonara with prawns are just two examples.

Finally, the vegetable carbonara pasta and the vegetarian carbonara, which makes most people wrinkle their nose, are very appreciated by those who have chosen to follow this type of diet.

Typical mistakes when preparing carbonara recipe

It is very common to make several mistakes when making this traditional Italian dish.

The first and foremost mistake in making authentic spaghetti carbonara is the belief that it contains cream, milk or mushrooms.

It is also very common to believe that they are made with bacon, when in fact guanciale is used. This is the jowl of the pig, and in Italy they use it cured so that when it is fried it is crispy on the outside and very juicy on the inside.

Also when preparing pasta, it is very common not to respect the indicated cooking times. Just follow the instructions on the pasta package to get a delicious al dente pasta.

There are also many people who insist on adding olive oil or laurel to the cooking water. The pasta is cooked in water with salt, nothing else.

Frequently asked questions when making the original carbonara recipe

How to reuse pasta carbonara

It happens to many of us that we prepare more carbonara paste than necessary. How can we use it so we don’t have to throw it away? Very simply, by recycling it into many delicious and creative recipes.

The first, and perhaps the most common, is to make a delicious carbonara pasta tortilla. Add a few eggs, 2 or 3, mix well the remaining spaghetti and egg and cook them in a pan with plenty of hot oil, on both sides and until they are completely browned. To make it even richer, if it is not rich enough, you can add a few cubes of cheese.

The carbonara spaghetti omelette can be baked in the oven, for an exceptional result suitable for serving something unusual for dinner. The baked carbonara you will get will test the most reluctant palates.

How about a pasta cake?

Line a baking sheet with dough, pierce the bottom and edges with a fork and fill with the dough. Pour a couple of beaten eggs with a little milk over it and spread it well. Bake in the oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes and the dish is ready. The next day, as is often the case, it will be even better.

Curiosities about carbonara paste

This dish, as famous as it is appreciated abroad, probably owes its name to the addition of ground black pepper which, when combined, gives the pasta a black colour that looks like shredded coal.

Origin of spaghetti carbonara recipe

Spaghetti carbonara is a Roman recipe, certainly recent because it has only been known since the Second World War, but its origin is quite controversial, and there are at least three plausible theories.

Pasta dishes seasoned with products from sheep farming and agriculture, such as eggs and bacon, were common in the Abruzzo mountains, and displaced people discovered them and brought them to Rome at the end of the war.

A second hypothesis is that the Roman hosts, to feed the American soldiers, inspired by the idea that they ate eggs and bacon for breakfast, offered them pasta seasoned with these ingredients and, given the success, the recipe has spread.

The third hypothesis is that spaghetti carbonara has always been prepared in Roman inns. But only after the war did the recipe become known to the general public because it was included in printed cookbooks.

We hope you liked all our carbonara recipes… we are still looking for more different dishes that will allow us to enjoy this tasty sauce… Please don’t forget to share on your favorite social networks so we can reach more people 😉