Linguine Carbonara Recipe

Prepare pasta water and cook linguine

Bring a large pot of water (about 4-5 liters) to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add 12 oz linguine and cook according to package directions for al dente (usually 9–11 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water just before draining, then drain the pasta and set aside briefly.

Make the carbonara egg-cheese mixture

While pasta cooks, in a medium bowl whisk together 4 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 cup finely grated Parmesan and 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Mixture should be thick but pourable; if too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of reserved pasta water to loosen. Set aside.

Cook bacon/pancetta (or ham) and optional mushrooms

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add 6 oz diced bacon or pancetta (or diced ham if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat renders and pieces are crisp around the edges, about 6–8 minutes. If using mushrooms, push the meat to one side or remove briefly, add 4 oz sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, sauté mushrooms until browned and their liquid evaporates, about 4–5 minutes, then combine with the meat in the skillet. Reduce heat to low. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté 30–45 seconds until fragrant — do not brown garlic.

Combine pasta with meat and temper the egg mixture

Add drained hot linguine to the skillet with the bacon and mushrooms and toss to coat in the rendered fat over low heat for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from direct heat (important to prevent scrambling the eggs). Slowly add about one-third of the reserved hot pasta water to the egg-cheese mixture while whisking to temper the eggs (this raises the egg temperature and prevents curdling). Pour the tempered egg-cheese mixture over the hot pasta and toss vigorously with tongs or two forks until a silky sauce forms and coats the pasta. Add additional reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to reach a smooth, glossy consistency (use about 1/4–3/4 cup total depending on how much liquid the pasta retained).

Finish and serve

Return the pan to very low heat for 10–20 seconds if needed while tossing continuously to warm the sauce through — avoid direct high heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter until melted for extra richness. Taste and adjust seasoning: add salt only if necessary (cheeses and pancetta are salty). Divide among 3–4 plates (serves 4). Sprinkle additional grated Parmesan/Pecorino and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley if using. Serve immediately.

Notes and variations

If using ham instead of pancetta, add at the same step but cook only until warmed and slightly caramelized (ham is already cooked). For a vegetarian option, omit meat, increase mushrooms to 8 oz, and sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until deeply browned. Do not reheat carbonara aggressively; the sauce can split if overheated.