The GüdDish Carbonara

We studied 196 recipes from around the world and combined the sharpest 13. Then we built the BEST!

Carbonara. The GüdDish.

Serves 4 · 10–15 min prep · 25–35 min total · 3 steps

Ingredients

Ingredients for Carbonara
  • 3 large eggs
  • 8 oz bacon, pancetta, or guanciale
  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 1 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 2 extra egg yolks
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbs kosher salt, for the pasta water

What the best recipes taught us

  • Take the pan off the heat before the eggs go in. The heat left in the pan is what cooks the sauce.
  • Use the cloudy pasta water. The starch in that water turns the eggs and cheese into a sauce that coats the pasta.

Method

  1. 1
    Spaghetti going into a large pot of boiling salted water
    1lbsspaghetti
    1tbskosher salt, for the pasta water

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it so it tastes like the sea.

    Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the cloudy pasta water, then drain.

  2. 2
    Bacon cooking in a wide black carbon-steel skillet with olive oil
    8ozbacon, pancetta, or guanciale
    1tbsolive oil

    Meanwhile, cut the bacon, pancetta, or guanciale into small strips.

    Set a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Cook the bacon, pancetta, or guanciale until the fat comes out and the pieces are crisp at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.

    Leave the fat in the skillet. That fat is the sauce base.

  3. 3
    Spaghetti tossed off the heat in the same skillet with egg and cheese sauce
    3 largeeggs
    2extra egg yolks
    1cparmesan
    1tspfreshly ground black pepper

    In a bowl, beat the eggs and extra yolks with the grated cheese and a lot of black pepper until thick.

    Take the skillet off the heat. Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet with a splash of pasta water. Toss so every strand is coated in fat.

    Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the skillet. Toss hard off the heat, adding pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce coats every strand.

    Salt to taste. Finish with more Parmesan and black pepper. Serve right away.