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Crispy Pancetta Carbonara

Crispy Pancetta Carbonara reads umami 7.6, richness 7.1 and salinity 6.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian main, about 23 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Richness 7.1 · Salinity 6.9 · Allium 3.4 · Funk & Ferment 3.2 · Smoke 1.9 · Nutty 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Sweetness 1.4 · Bitterness 0.9 · Earthy 0.6 · Heat 0.6 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (10)

• thin spaghetti — 454 g
• pancetta — 227 g
• garlic — 6 g
• eggs — 400 g
• egg yolk — 300 g
• pecorino romano cheese — 170 g
• parmesan cheese — 57 g
• freshly cracked black pepper — 7 g
• salt — 5 g
• shell pasta — 237 g

Time & effort: about 23 min (22 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 265.8 kcal, 12.5 g protein, 17.1 g fat, 13.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil.
2. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon of the black pepper together in a large bowl until you have a thick, uniform paste; set aside.
3. Add the pancetta to a large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and crisp and most of the fat has rendered, 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 30 seconds — any longer and it turns bitter. Discard the garlic cloves, remove the skillet from the heat, and use a slotted spoon to lift half of the crispy pancetta into a small bowl for garnish, leaving the rendered fat and remaining pancetta in the skillet.
5. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 10-11 minutes, then scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining the pasta.
6. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the pancetta fat along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water; set over low heat and toss constantly until the strands are glossy and coated, about 1 minute.
7. Remove the skillet from the heat completely, then pour in the egg-cheese mixture, tossing constantly with tongs and adding more reserved pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce turns silky and coats the pasta like a thin custard, about 2 minutes.
8. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the remaining black pepper, tossing once more to distribute; loosen with a little more pasta water if the sauce looks tight.
9. Divide the carbonara among bowls, scatter the reserved crispy pancetta on top, and finish with a final grating of Pecorino Romano.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Fabada Asturiana — Spanish
• Erbazzone Reggiano — Italian · Emilia-Romagna
• Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake — Italian-American
• Tortellini in Brodo — Italian · Emilia-Romagna
• Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.