Skip to main content

Recipe

A Bite To Eat With Alice: OG fettuccine carbonara

Prep time: 
5
Cook time: 
30
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4
A bowl of classic fettuccine carbonara topped with crispy guanciale, freshly grated cheese

The ultimate comfort food — silky fettuccine carbonara with crispy guanciale, rich cheese and plenty of black pepper. No cream, just pure Italian goodness! (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Alice Zaslavsky is the host of A Bite To Eat with Alice, weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV and anytime on ABC iview. Alice is the resident culinary correspondent for ABC News Breakfast and ABC Radio, a food literacy advocate, bestselling cookbook author, and creator of Phenomenom, a free digital toolbox helping teachers slip more serves of veg into the curriculum.

Jump to Recipe

Alice welcomes Ruva Ngwenya to the kitchen, knowing that as a powerhouse performer starring as Tina Turner in TINA: The Musical, she needs a meal that's as bold and satisfying as her stage presence. 

Fresh ingredients for an authentic fettuccine carbonara, including guanciale, eggs, pasta, and pecorino cheese,.

The foundation of a true carbonara — rich guanciale, fresh eggs, silky pasta and plenty of pecorino cheese. Simple ingredients, big flavour! (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Ruva loves a generous, hearty dish, so Alice is making the ultimate OG fettuccine carbonara — no cream, just the traditional Italian way with eggs, cheese, guanciale and plenty of black pepper. 

Crispy, golden-brown guanciale pieces in a glass bowl, ready to be tossed into a rich carbonara sauce.

Golden, crispy guanciale — packed with savoury flavour and the heart of a true carbonara. No oil needed, just let the fat render and do its magic! (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

It's a simple yet indulgent recipe that proves sometimes, the classics really are simply the best!

Freshly cooked fettuccine being tossed in a creamy carbonara sauce with crispy guanciale in a glass mixing bowl.

This is where the magic happens! The heat of the pasta melts the cheese and turns eggs into a silky, rich sauce — no cream needed. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Tips

  • Meat swaps work too: You can use pancetta or bacon instead of guanciale.
  • Make it vegetarian: Swap out the pork for mushrooms, frying them in a little olive oil.
  • Save the pasta water: The starch helps bind the sauce and create that silky texture.
  • Chop smaller for speed: Cutting the pork into smaller pieces helps it cook faster.
  • Fresh pasta is best: If possible, use fresh pasta for a richer texture, but packet pasta works too.
  • Keep stirring: Agitate the pasta while mixing in the egg sauce, to prevent clumping.

Here's the full list of recipes from Season 2 of A Bite To Eat With Alice.

This recipe appears in A Bite to Eat with Alice, a new nightly cooking show on ABC iview and weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV.

A Bite To Eat With Alice: OG fettuccine carbonara

Prep time: 
5
Cook time: 
30
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4

Ingredients

Pasta sauce

  • 1 cup (approx. 160g) sliced guanciale, pancetta or best quality bacon, diced 
  • 4 eggs  
  • 1 cup (40g) freshly-grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving 
  • Freshly-cracked black pepper, to season 
  • 600g fresh fettuccine pasta 
  • Sea-salt flakes, to season 

Method

  1. Fill a large pot with well-salted water and bring to the boil.  
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the guanciale (or pancetta, or bacon) and cook until crispy, about 6—10 minutes, depending on your pork product of choice. Turn off the heat and set aside.  
  3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated cheese and a generous amount of freshly-cracked black pepper. Set aside. 
  4. Once water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes (or according to package instructions), until al dente.
  5. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup (125 ml) of pasta water before draining the pasta. 
  6. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the cooked guanciale/pancetta/bacon. Toss the pasta over low heat, ensuring it's well-coated. 
  7. Quickly transfer the warm pasta from the pan into the mixing bowl with the egg mixture. Fold the mixture together rapidly with a wooden spoon, to prevent the eggs from scrambling due to the heat of the pasta. The pasta should be smooth, without lumps, and evenly coated with the creamy sauce. If the sauce appears to be too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. 
  8. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the pasta with additional salt and pepper, if desired. 
  9. Serve the pasta immediately, topped with extra grated cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Back to top