Pasta Carbonara — Easiest Weeknight Dinner
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I know what you’re thinking: Pasta carbonara? The week after Thanksgiving? Thanks, but no thanks.
But, and forgive me if I’m wrong, I think you might be thinking of an entirely different dish, one containing vast amounts of cheese and butter?
I had misconceptions, too. But true pasta carbonara is in fact light, and this recipe, from Everyday Food, calls for sautéed leeks, grated lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, flavors that make this carbonara preparation particularly fresh and light. What I love most about this dish is the sauce, made with two whisked eggs, 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, an incredibly creamy mixture (despite containing no cream at all) that coats the pasta so well, making every bite especially tasty. Oddly, it tastes not the least bit eggy. Just creamy and delicious. Yum.
With bacon and eggs on hand, dinner can be assembled in a flash. I’ve made this dish once a week since my Everyday Food magazine arrived in mid-October. Nothing makes me happier than whisking that pasta cooking liquid with the eggs and cheese, watching it transform into a magically flavorful sauce, and throwing dinner on the table. I think you’ll enjoy it, too.
PS: Pasta Carbonara with Asparagus
PPS: No-Bacon Carbonara with ALL the Greens
How to Make Pasta Carbonara, Step by Step
First, slice up some leeks. Transfer them to a large bowl of cold water to soak and to let the dirt settle — leeks can be very dirty.
Then, dice up some bacon and …
… crisp it up in a pan.
Set it aside; then cook the leeks in the bacon fat.
Boil a pot of water; then cook whatever pasta you like till al dente.
I’ve been loving this Casarecce:
This is the key step: be sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid. You only need 1/4 cup initially, but I suggest reserving much more because it’s so nice having on hand for reheating.
Whisk together the sauce: 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid.
Drain the pasta.
Add it to the skillet with the leeks, the crisped bacon, and the sauce.
Chop up some parsley.
Add it to the skillet and stir to combine.
Shave more parmesan and crack more pepper over top to taste.
Soooo good.
Pasta Carbonara — Easiest Weeknight Dinner
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4
Description
Adapted from: Everyday Food
Note: If you want to make this vegetarian, use 3 tablespoons of olive oil in place of the bacon.
Ingredients
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 leeks (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water and drained
- 3/4 pound pasta, such as campanelle, orecchiette, or gemelli
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 pound of asparagus, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water to boil (I use 1 tablespoon kosher salt).
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet. (Alternatively use 3 tablespoons of olive oil in place of the bacon.) Add the leeks, season lightly with salt to taste, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft and beginning to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Add pasta to pot and cook al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 to 2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into egg mixture.
- If using the asparagus, add it to the pot of pasta, then drain the pot immediately. Add the pasta and asparagus to the skillet with the leeks and immediately add the egg mixture, along with the bacon, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add more pasta cooking as needed. Serve immediately with more parmesan and pepper on the side.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
75 Comments on “Pasta Carbonara — Easiest Weeknight Dinner”
Thanks for sharing this great receipe! I made it a few days ago for some friends and we all loved it. Unfortunately we emptied the pan before I was able to take pictures. But I’ll definitely make this dish again soon.
So happy to hear this! This one never seems to fail us either. So happy you like it.
Just made your recipe this evening! It is terrific!! I added Dill, because I add it to almost everything, lol. Chopped sundried tomatoes, garlic butter to the fennel as it sauteed. I also did not have bacon, but In hand I had my Ham Rounds for breakfasts. Fried them up till crispy, chopped them small …this dish is refreshing!! Absolutely love the lemon in it!
OH wow, sounds amazing! I love dill, too, especially in the summer in Greek salads. Yum!
hi
I just wanted to tell you a funny story about this recipe. so last year my husband and I moved to a new house with a pond and a bit of land, well to keep the Mosquitos down we ended up getting 3 ducks, that I didn’t realize would lay quite so many eggs. My lovely husband has this strange aversion to eggs but after a while I had about 6 dozen eggs in our fridge and I just couldn’t eat that much quiche I came across this recipe. My husband loved it and asks that I make it at least once a week, and now he will also eat breakfast burritos and occasionally scrambled eggs, which is pretty much a miracle!
So thanks for sharing it, it’s made such dent in the egg situation lol
Kind regards
Linda
I never comment on posts, but I have to say I have made this recipe probably 100 times because it is SO delicious! I usually always make it as-is (with a touch of crushed red pepper & linguine) and it is always amazing. It’s become such a staple that we probably make it at least twice a month and I’ve got it memorized. I never had leeks before eating this and it opened up my eyes to a wider world of food possibilities. Thanks for this amazing recipe (as I eat it now for dinner!)
Hi, trying to add this recipe to my Plan to Eat recipe builder and was wondering how much this serves?
I would say 4
I’ve always been afraid of the eggs being too raw, but this sounds really tempting.
It’s a favorite!
I have never cooked or eaten a leek. What do they look like? Are they hard to cook? What do they taste like?
They look like an enormous scallion. Not hard to cook, though more labor-intensive than an onion because they tend to be dirty. You can use an onion in place of the leek.
I love a good carbonara and this is one, but please do not use onion in place of a leek. The flavor profiles are completely different. Onions are pungent, while leeks are savory/sweet. Just buy a leek (your produce guy can point you to it), trim off the tough dark green parts and the root end, chop it up into 1/2-inch to 1-inch sections (your preference), throw it into a salad spinner or colander and wash the dirt away (there is almost always dirt). It’s not that much work and the flavor is worth the effort.
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Delicious! I liked the addition of leeks, and followed the directions exactly. I felt the leeks made the recipe a little lighter. Will definitely make again.
Wonderful to hear this, Janet! I love the leeks in this one, too 🙂
Hi Ali,
I was looking through your blog for something new to try for dinner last night. This recipe has just the flavor profile that I was looking for and it delivered in all areas. It was easy to put together, full of flavor, and the perfect meal as we move into fall.
Another 5 star recipe in my Papirika collection 😊
So nice to hear this, Bruce! This is more of my oldest, most favorite recipes on the site. So glad you found it! Thanks, as always, for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks yum! I miss the Every Day Food little magazine as well, it was really good and I still have saved many recipes from it! Many of the recipes were from Sarah Carey, loved her recipes.
I loved Sarah Carey’s recipes SO much, and that magazine was filled with gems. Such a great size. Loved the overall package 🙂 🙂 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. I love the idea of trying the egg, parmesan and lemon sauce on other pastas too.
So nice to hear this, Elizabeth!! You can totally use the sauce with so many other vegetables. I love that the eggs add a little bit of protein… I know it’s not much, but to me, it’s enough to consider it a one-pot wonder 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing!!
This is really yummy! I’m adding this to my quick go-to dinners. Since it’s spring I also picked up some green garlic at the farmers market and cooked that with the leeks, so good! Thank you Ali!
Oh yum! That sounds so delicious and so springy. Love it 🙂
So I’m a new follower in the Church Of Alexandra, but when you posted this over on IG I immediately went and got the ingredients since it fits my weekday meal prep criteria perfectly: somewhat healthy, filling, will keep for a few days, high yum-factor.
I skipped the bacon, went easy on the leeks and heavy on the asparagus (I LIVE for that brief window each year when you can get green asparagus here!). I added baby spinach for even more of a Spring vibe, and likely created one of those “Can I replace ingredient A with X”-dishes in the process, but holy macaroni, did it turn out good. It’s past 10pm here and I just ate Thursday’s serving straight from the pan. The lemon!! OMG, the lemon. 😍 Thank you so much for creating/ sharing/ inspiring this recipe. I’m sure I’ll revisit it often!
Awwww Julie 🙂 🙂 🙂 It’s so nice to read all of this. I love the sound of all of your changes/tweaks. I’m with you on this brief window to celebrate asparagus. Can’t get enough of it!
I’ve made this a couple times and it’s so good. I added frozen peas the last time I made it and it was delicious. Thanks for this recipe!
Great to hear, Jess! Thanks for writing 🙂