Never tried pasta carbonara? Get ready for a treat. This creamy, rich pasta recipe is made with eggs, bacon, peas, and Parmesan cheese. 

Pasta carbonara is a creamy, decadent, egg-based pasta dish.

When I first tried it, I was convinced that the sauce had cream in it. Not quite.

The creaminess is due to the 4 eggs + the bacon fat, plus a little cooking chemistry.

When the eggs are mixed with the oil reserved from the bacon, the result is a smooth, velvety sauce. I ended up adding a splash of cream to this dish right before serving, but it’s not necessary. You could also use a small amount of pasta water for extra creaminess instead.

This pasta carbonara is a super cheap recipe that costs about $1.00 a serving. I would recommend splurging and using high quality bacon, since it’s really the highlight of the dish.

More Cheap Pasta Recipes

Here are some other budget pasta/pasta sauce recipes that you might enjoy:

• Marcella Hazan’s famous 3-ingredient pasta sauce
• Red wine pasta sauce (perfect when you have a bit of leftover red wine!)
• Parsley pesto
• Pepperoni macaroni and cheese
• Big batch macaroni and cheese
• Lighter stovetop macaroni and cheese
• Spaghetti with pesto-Parmesan meatballs (pictured below)

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Pasta Carbonara

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Timing is important in this recipe. Make sure that the pasta is hot when you add the egg mixture to it. The heat from the pasta will safely cook the eggs, but the bacon grease will prevent them from scrambling.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once done cooking, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water for optional use later.
2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, cook bacon until crisp, adding garlic about half way through. Remove bacon and place on a paper towel to cool, then crumble. Reserve the bacon grease in the frying pan.
3. Beat eggs. Add drained pasta and peas to bacon oil. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, tossing pasta to ensure even heating and coating. Remove pan from heat and add beaten eggs to the pasta. Stir pasta to distribute egg mixture evenly and avoid scrambling. Add a bit of reserved pasta water or a splash of cream, if desired. Top pasta with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

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