Think of pasta carbonara as the Italian version of chicken soup. It’s humble and comforting and requires the simplest of ingredients.
Carbonara consists of pasta and cured pork (guanciale) or bacon, whisked in a slick sauce of eggs and a shower of grated pecorino cheese. The method is quick. It relies on the heat from the just-cooked pasta to cook the eggs and melt the cheese, while the sauce is constantly stirred to prevent the eggs from scrambling. It’s a one-dish meal—or in this case, a one-skillet meal. From start to finish, this dish can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.