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Aged Gouda Spaghetti alla Carbonara

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5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 5 servings
Category Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Author Lauren Grant

Description

This incredibly flavorful and healthy-ish carbonara is made with whole-wheat spaghetti, aged Gouda, Parmesan, and pancetta. A cozy, comforting dish perfect for date night in or cold winter nights! 

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3 ounces shredded aged Gouda about ¾ cup
  • 1 ounce grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano about ¼ cup
  • Black pepper & kosher salt
  • 12 ounces dry whole-wheat spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 ounces pancetta guanciale, or slab bacon diced

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and yolks until smooth, whisk in aged Gouda, Parmesan, and 7 turns of black pepper.
    egg, shredded cheese and black pepper in a brown bowl
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season liberally with salt (about 2 tablespoons). Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions, stirring often to prevent sticking. Reserve 2 cups pasta water then drain.
  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium, add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden-brown and just starting to crisp, about 5 minutes; reduce heat to low. 
    cubes of pancetta cooking in a skillet
  • Slowly whisk ¼ cup reserved pasta water into cheese and egg mixture. 
    egg, shredded cheese and black pepper in a brown bowl
  • Immediately after draining pasta, add hot pasta to pan with pancetta and briefly toss with tongs.
    spaghetti in a skillet with cooked pancetta
  • Add egg mixture, tossing continuously (gently to avoid breaking the noodles), until pasta is well coated, about 3 minutes; add additional reserved pasta cooking water by ¼ cup to reach desired creamy consistency (you may end up using quite a bit of the reserved cooking water and that’s OK).
    egg and shredded cheese mixture getting poured into a skillet full of spaghetti
  • Serve carbonara hot, sprinkled with additional black pepper to taste.
    carbonara in a skillet with tongs

Notes

It's important to serve carbonara immediately after making it! 
For a traditional carbonara, use Parmesan or Pecorino instead of Gouda. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/5 of recipeCalories: 504kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 24gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 750mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2.5g
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