Description:
A timeless Roman pasta dish made with spaghetti, egg yolks, cheese, and crispy pancetta. It’s rich, creamy (without any cream!), salty, and high in calories — perfect for healthy weight gain.
🕒 Total Time: 20 minutes
🍽️ Servings: 2
🔥 Calories per serving: ~600 kcal
🛒 Ingredients
- 180g (6 oz) spaghetti
- 100g (3.5 oz) pancetta or guanciale, diced
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Salt, for boiling pasta
- Optional: 1 tablespoon butter (for added calories)
🍳 Instructions
1. Boil the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook spaghetti until al dente (usually 8–9 minutes).
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2. Prepare the Sauce:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, whole egg, and grated cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Cook the Pancetta:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook diced pancetta or guanciale until crispy and golden (about 5–6 minutes).
- Remove from heat once cooked, but leave the fat in the pan.
4. Combine:
- Add the hot drained pasta directly into the skillet with pancetta (off the heat).
- Toss well to coat the pasta in the pancetta fat.
- Quickly pour in the egg-cheese mixture while the pasta is still hot (but not on the stove) – the heat of the pasta will gently cook the eggs and create a silky sauce.
- Add reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen the sauce to desired consistency.
5. Serve:
- Divide onto plates.
- Top with extra cheese and black pepper.
- Serve immediately.
💡 Tips:
- Do not return the pan to direct heat after adding the egg mixture — this will scramble the eggs.
- Guanciale (cured pork jowl) is traditional, but pancetta or even bacon can be used.
- For weight gain, add a pat of butter or an extra egg yolk to the sauce.
