Creamy Carbonara is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that's ready in 30 minutes! This eggless penne carbonara is tossed with bacon, mushrooms, parmesan cheese and a creamy sauce. One bite of this pasta carbonara with cream and you'll be dying to go back for seconds!
This Creamy Carbonara is not traditional in the slightest but that doesn't mean it isn't AMAZING. If you're a little weirded out by stirring raw egg through your pasta, or have an egg-allergy, this eggless creamy carbonara is for you!
It's a quick and easy dinner that will be on the table in under 30 minutes and is made with easy, everyday and budget-friendly ingredients.
When you're craving good and hearty comfort food you need to pull out this penne carbonara with cream. I especially love to make it on date night for something special. Carbs are my love language after all!
The pasta is tossed with bacon, mushrooms, onions, parmesan cheese and heavy cream. The result? A creamy pasta that's full of flavour. This is one meal the whole family will adore.
Why you'll love this recipe...
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- Made from easy, every day ingredients.
- Full of flavour.
WHAT IS CARBONARA?
Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta dish that is made with egg, hard cheese, guanciale and black pepper. Spaghetti is most commonly used in this dish, but penne, fettuccine, linguine etc can also be used.
My creamy carbonara recipe is far from traditional, as I've removed the egg and added in heavy cream. This recipe is perfect for anyone who loves hearty comfort food, or those with egg allergies!
SHOULD CARBONARA HAVE CREAM?
Ahhh the great carbonara debate! There's of course many different schools of thought when it comes to the addition of cream in carbonara.
Traditional Italian carbonara gets its creaminess from egg yolks. In fact, most Italians don't believe cream has a place in carbonara.
In Australia, many restaurants use heavy cream in their carbonara and whilst it isn't traditional, it's certainly AMAZING! I honestly prefer it, and I find this recipe with the addition of cream good and wholesome comfort food.
If you're struggling with the fact that this recipe has "carbonara" in it's name but has cream and no eggs, you can call it creamy bacon pasta 😉
INGREDIENTS
I love making this dish for date night. Buying the ingredients is much more affordable than a night out at your local Italian restaurant. Use the extra leftover to splurge on a nice bottle of wine! Here's what you'll need (full measurements in the printable recipe card below)...
- Penne Pasta
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Bacon
- Mushrooms
- Parmesan Cheese
- Heavy Cream
DON’T THROW OUT YOUR PASTA WATER
Have you been drowning your naked cooked pasta in pasta sauce and calling it a day, only to find the sauce doesn’t really stick to your pasta? Well guys, the madness stops here.
The secret to the best pasta ever is all in your pasta water.
The salty, starchy pasta water works its magic in a few ways…
- It adds flavour and richness to the sauce
- It thickens the sauce
- It helps the sauce stick to the pasta
Goodbye sauce puddles lying on the bottom of the plate. Hello best pasta ever!
All you need to do is reserve half a mug of pasta water just before you drain your pasta.
Then add your cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to your pasta sauce (start with ¼ cup), and cook for a few minutes, tossing regularly. The sauce will thin out initially, but don’t worry, it will quickly thicken into a delicious creamy texture.
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a generous amount of salt to the pot and the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Add onion, bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and mushrooms are tender.
Reduce heat to low, then add cream, ¼ cup of reserved pasta water and the cooked penne pasta and cook, stirring regularly, until the liquid has reduced into a thick creamy sauce. Remove the frying pan from heat and add a good handful of shredded parmesan cheese, tossing through the pasta.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese on top and garnish with chopped parsley. You can also enjoy with a side dish like Air Fryer Garlic Bread
STORAGE ADVICE
Any leftover carbonara will store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. One thing to note is that the sauce tends to absorb into the pasta once refrigerated and it isn't as "saucy" once it's reheated.
This has never really bothered me as I still thoroughly enjoy it the next day, but it is something to be mindful of. If you're planning to serve to guests, definitely make fresh!
TOP TIPS
- Creamy carbonara is best served immediately - hot and saucy!
- You can use spaghetti instead of penne if you'd like.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese, not the stuff that comes in a can! You can also substitute parmesan for another hard Italian cheese.
- Feel free to use pancetta or even guanciale instead of bacon.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to feed a crowd.
MORE DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPES
If you’ve tried this Creamy Carbonara I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!
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