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Are you craving an incredibly delicious pasta dish, that is super easy to make? Look no further than Penne Carbonara!
What Is Carbonara Pasta?
Carbonara is a dish that originates from the Eternal City of Rome.
A traditional Italian carbonara contains the pasta (usually spaghetti), hard cheese, black pepper, cured pork, and eggs. The hard cheese is typically Pecorino Romano, or Parmigiano Reggiano. Guanciale or pancetta are normally used for the pork ingredient.
Read this Wikipedia article about Carbonara for some additional history and information on this exquisite dish.
Why You Will LOVE This Penne Carbonara Recipe!
There are so many reasons to make and love this pasta dish! But in a nutshell:
- It's delicious!
- It's quick!
- It's easy!
- It's budget friendly!
- Your entire family will love it!
This easy recipe is inspired by the authentic Roman dish, but I have made a few tweaks and the results are mighty fine.
So, are you ready to give this a go? I do hope so!
What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Penne Carbonara?
You'll be shocked at how few ingredients are required for this delicious recipe!
You will need:
- Penne pasta (cooked al dente according to package directions)
- Bacon
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Eggs
- Reserved pasta water (may not need to use this but reserve some anyway just in case)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Italian parsley (optional garnish)
- Olive oil (sub for bacon fat if you wish)
I use the bacon fat to sauté the garlic in this recipe. However, you could sub olive oil if you prefer.
The Easy Method To Make This Incredible Dish!
It couldn't be easier to make Penne Carbonara.
Cook your diced bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat. Fry the bacon a bit until slightly crispy. You want a little bit of crispiness but don't overdo this part. This may take between 3-5 minutes. Stir often.
Once the bacon is slightly crispy, remove all but about 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. (If you are using olive oil instead of the bacon fat, please remove all of the bacon fat at this time or use another skillet).
Lower the heat to medium low heat, then add the garlic. Once done, add garlic and sauté for around 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Turn off the heat, then set the skillet aside for now.
And the carbonara sauce? The sauce consists of eggs and parmesan cheese. Place these in a small bowl and whisk well until both ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook your penne in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions to al dente. Just prior to draining, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Drain penne.
I usually reserve about a cup of pasta water (collected right at the end of cooking the pasta) when I make sauces. The reserved starchy pasta water is not always needed, however, when needed it can make the difference between pasta that is sticky and a pasta that has a nice and silky smooth sauce!
Add the drained pasta to the skillet which has the garlic and bacon. Allow this to cool about a minute, and then add the whisked egg and parmesan cheese to the skillet.
Stir well to incorporate, and add a little reserved pasta water (only if needed) to loosen up the pasta. You are aiming for a smooth and silky sauce, with no scrambled eggs in sight.
Add ¼ ts salt and ½ ts black pepper. Stir to combine, taste, and add additional seasoning if so desired.
Most Important Tip In Making This Pasta Carbonara!
Taking the hot skillet and contents off the heat and allowing it to cool for a bit before adding the parmesan and egg mixture is critical! This is the absolute most important thing to remember when making this Penne Carbonara!
Why? Because if the skillet and contents are too hot, you will end up with scrambled eggs or curdled eggs, instead of a nice silky smooth sauce.
Suggestions For Serving
Garnish with additional parmesan cheese, black pepper, and Italian parsley if so desired.
Add a lovely green salad to accompany this most amazing of pasta dishes, to make it a complete meal.
Buon appetito!
FAQ
A traditional Italian carbonara contains the pasta (usually spaghetti), hard cheese, black pepper, cured pork, and eggs. The hard cheese is typically Pecorino Romano, or Parmigiano Reggiano. Guanciale or pancetta are normally used for the pork ingredient.
Some carbonara recipes use whole eggs, and some just use the yolks. This recipe calls for using the whole eggs.
The top tip of cooking a carbonara is to not let the eggs scramble or curdle. This can be achieved by taking the hot skillet and contents off the heat and allowing it to cool for a bit before adding the egg and parmesan mixture.
Some Other Dishes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:
- Roseanna's AMAZING Rigatoni With Sausage!
- Simple and Delicious Cacio e Pepe
- The BEST Linguine With Pink Shrimp Sauce
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
If you'd like to come along on this food journey with me, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
Easy, Quick, and Delicious Penne Carbonara!
Equipment
- Large skillet
- large pot for cooking the pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta cooked according to package directions to al dente; I have allowed for 10 minutes in this recipe but please adjust according to your package directions
- 5 slices bacon diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced; I usually go heavy on the garlic but please adjust to your tastes
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus additional for garnish
- ¼ ts salt plus additional to taste
- ½ ts black pepper plus additional to taste
- Italian parsley optional garnish
- olive oil optional - this is if you prefer to use olive oil instead of bacon fat to sauté your garlic
Instructions
- Cook your diced bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat. Fry the bacon a bit until slightly crispy. You want a little bit of crispiness but don't overdo this part. This may take between 3-5 minutes. Stir often.
- Once the bacon is slightly crispy, remove all but about 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. (If you are using olive oil instead of the bacon fat, please remove all of the bacon fat at this time or use another skillet). Lower the heat to medium low heat, then add the garlic. Once done, add garlic and sauté for around 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Turn off the heat, then set the skillet aside for now.
- Place eggs and parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Whisk well until both ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook your penne in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions to al dente. Just prior to draining, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Drain penne.
- Add the penne to the skillet which has the garlic and bacon. Allow this to cool about a minute, and then add the whisked egg and parmesan cheese to the skillet. Stir well to incorporate, and add a little reserved pasta water (only if needed) to loosen up the pasta. You are aiming for a smooth and silky sauce, with no scrambled eggs in sight. Add ¼ ts salt and ½ ts black pepper. Stir to combine, taste, and add additional seasoning if so desired.
- Serve! Garnish with Italian parsley, fresh grindings of black pepper, and additional parmesan cheese if desired. Mangia!
April
Pasta is one of my favorite dishes! This dish was absolutely amazing! This is the second time I’ve made this recipe because my 15 year old son requested it again. I highly recommend this dish because not only it’s delicious but very easy to make and very affordable. Will be making this again!
Grace
Hi April! Gosh you made it twice now that makes me super happy! So very glad that you like this so much! Thanks for taking a chance on it and for taking the time to comment!! I so appreciate you! Grace