From the very first bite, I have been totally in love with Spaghetti Carbonara. It is amazingly simple, made up of just a few basic ingredients, and yet it’s so incredibly delicious – creamy (even though there’s traditionally no cream), salty with pancetta and pecorino, and plenty peppery. This recipe takes that same concept and flavor and transforms Carbonara into a sliceable, comforting bake.
The ingredients and the process here are very similar to traditional Carbonara, you’re just adding in an extra step of baking, which builds in a little more comfort and makes it a little simpler to serve to a crowd. The ingredient list is short, even though it’s certainly not short on flavor.
You start with pancetta that’s crisped up in a pan and tossed with spaghetti, eggs, and plenty of pecorino and pepper. This version also includes some cream – it helps keep things moist with the extra baking time in this method.
And then all you have to do is pour the mixture into a pan and bake it! A springform pan works best so that you can easily remove it once it’s done and slice it up, pie-like.
The magic of carbonara is in how the eggs are cooked by the heat of the pasta and they somehow meld with the cheese into a creamy and velvety sauce that took virtually no work. While it’s a little different here since the eggs set in the oven, it is just as magically creamy and delicious – it just also happens to be sliceable!
Spaghetti Carbonara Pie
30 minutes to prepare serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup diced pancetta
- 1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, grated and divided
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for serving
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 9-inch baking dish or springform pan with butter. If using springform pan, wrap outside tightly with foil and place on baking sheet.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, and salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of the cheese, the spaghetti, and pancetta and toss to combine.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake until egg has set, about 40 minutes.
- Let cool five minutes before cutting around springform pan to loosen and releasing pan. Serve in wedges with additional pecorino and parsley and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Italian Food Forever.