A true Roman classic — silky egg sauce, crispy guanciale, and sharp Pecorino Romano. No cream, ever. This is the only carbonara recipe you'll ever need: simple, fast, and absolutely unforgettable.

Ingredients

• 200g spaghetti
• 100g guanciale (or pancetta), diced
• 3 large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
• 60g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• 30g Parmesan, finely grated
• Freshly cracked black pepper (generous amount)
• Salt (for pasta water only)

Instructions

1

Prepare the sauce base

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, whole egg, grated Pecorino, and Parmesan. Season generously with black pepper. Set aside.

2

Cook the guanciale

In a large pan over medium heat, cook diced guanciale until crispy and golden. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly — do NOT discard the rendered fat.

3

Cook the pasta

Boil spaghetti in well-salted water until just al dente (1 minute less than package says). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

4

Combine off the heat

Add hot drained pasta to the guanciale pan (off heat). Pour egg mixture over pasta, tossing constantly. Add pasta water splash by splash to create a silky, creamy sauce. Work fast!

5

Serve immediately

Plate into warm bowls. Top with extra Pecorino and a final generous crack of black pepper. Serve at once.