Ingredients for 4 servings
| 400 g | Spaghetti |
| 200 g | Pancetta or Guanciale, diced ✕ not vegan |
| 4 | Eggs (3 whole + 1 yolk) ✕ not vegan |
| 100 g | Pecorino Romano, finely grated ✕ not vegan |
| 50 g | Parmesan, finely grated ✕ not vegan |
| 2 | Garlic cloves |
| Black pepper, freshly ground | |
| Salt (for the pasta water only) |
Method
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the package directions — reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
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Fry the pancetta in a large pan over medium heat until golden and crispy (about 5–7 minutes). Halve the garlic cloves, briefly sauté, then discard. Remove pan from heat.
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In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the grated Pecorino and Parmesan. Season generously with black pepper — no salt, the cheese brings enough of that.
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Add the drained, still-hot spaghetti directly to the pan with the pancetta (no heat!). Pour the egg and cheese mixture over and toss immediately with tongs. Add pasta water a splash at a time until a creamy, silky sauce forms — the heat of the pasta cooks the eggs without scrambling them.
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Serve immediately. Garnish with extra Pecorino and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Ratings & Reviews
Finally a recipe without cream! Just as silky as the one I had in Rome. I've already made it twice this week.
Great recipe, I just halved the pepper — otherwise it was too hot for me. Otherwise absolutely perfect.
My husband says this is the best pasta recipe I've ever made 😄 The pasta water trick changed everything.
Step 4 is the key — pan off the heat and toss immediately. First time I missed that and got scrambled eggs 😅 Second time was perfect!