Pasta Carbonara is a super easy but indulgent meal that comes together in under 20 minutes. Learn how to make authentic carbonara with easy to follow recipe. 

When we visited Rome last year, I was so excited for authentic carbonara. I ordered it at practically every restaurant we visited. Learn how to make this Roman pasta at home with just a few simple ingredients.

In Italy, carbonara is typically made with spaghetti or rigatoni. But, the sauce is the real star and so you will see it with all sorts of pasta options. For this recipe, I used gnocchi which tastes so good with creamy sauce. 

What is Carbonara?

Carbonara is a super simple Italian pasta dish made with just a few simple ingredients: pasta, egg, Parmesan (or other hard sharp cheese), pepper and cured pork.

I always struggle to find the guanciale locally so this recipe uses pancetta instead. To give the sauce just a little extra punch of flavor, I also use a bit of dry white wine. There were several places in Italy that did this and I loved the flavor it added. 

A few notes on the ingredients

• Pasta – I use gnocchi here. But, feel free to substitute the traditional spaghetti or rigatoni pasta instead. I do not recommend potato gnocchi for this one though as it won’t hold up well.
• Cured Pork – I use pancetta but, if you have difficulty finding that, feel free to substitute bacon. I would recommend a really high quality bacon though. Of course, if you can find the traditional guanciale, grab that!
• White Wine – A dry, white wine works best here. 
• Eggs – You will only need the yolks. I usually save the whites and use it for a different recipe.
• Cheese – Parmesan or Pecorino are the most commonly used hard, sharp cheeses for pasta carbonara. I typically will use a 1/2 and 1/2 mix.

If you like this recipe for authentic pasta carbonara with gnocchi, be sure to check out these other delicious pasta recipes:

• Tomato Basil Shrimp Pasta
• One Pot Taco Alfredo Pasta
• 15 Minute Thai Peanut Noodles
• Easy Lemon Garlic Pasta
• Sausage Parmesan Pasta

If you make this gnocchi carbonara or any other recipe from the blog, I’d love to hear about your experience. Let me know in the comments or snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen on Instagram or Twitter. 

Yield: 6 Servings

Gnocchi Carbonara

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Pasta Carbonara is a classic Italian pasta recipe. This one has a slight twist as it is made with gnocchi in place of the traditional spaghetti or rigatoni.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb gnocchi
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add 2 Tbsp kosher salt. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer until reduced by half.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cheese, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the reserved pasta water.
4. Add the gnocchi to the skillet with the pancetta. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir rapidly to coat the gnocchi without cooking the eggs. Remove from heat and continue to toss the gnocchi as the sauce thickens. Serve with extra grated cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 439 Total Fat: 23g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 203mg Sodium: 3051mg Carbohydrates: 39g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 1g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 16g