Pinoy Carbonara with Ham and Bacon

Cuisines from all around the world have given birth to some of the best pasta recipes from the classics like spaghetti bolognese and baked macaroni to linguine pasta. One of the most mentioned kinds is the crowd favorite among various ages— the humble, savory Pinoy Carbonara. Putting it simply, this is pasta made with a…

Cuisines from all around the world have given birth to some of the best pasta recipes from the classics like spaghetti bolognese and baked macaroni to linguine pasta. One of the most mentioned kinds is the crowd favorite among various ages— the humble, savory Pinoy Carbonara. Putting it simply, this is pasta made with a delightful light, creamy sauce. And for this specific recipe, I have made cooking carbonara much simpler with a few common ingredients, and easy steps.

But as you may already be aware of, in the Philippines, this is made with plenty of cream to give it that unmistakable creamy, delicious quality. But some may not be aware that the original Italian recipe actually does not make use of cream. And it is definitely simpler in terms of ingredients needed. Let me show you what I mean by comparing these styles of creating Carbonara.

Authentic vs Filipino Style Carbonara

Authentic Carbonara

Beginning with the original recipe, this actually gets its creaminess just from eggs and cheese. Authentic Carbonara does not actually use a lot of ingredients. We just use Panceta to make our dish a bit more filling and meaty. As for seasonings, we just have our cheese and eggs as mentioned earlier, and a bit of salt and ground black pepper. But for all its simplicity, it definitely does not lack in richness. This authentic version surely deserves a lot of love because it is able to show off great flavor with the little components it has.

Carbonara Recipe Filipino Style

On to the kind you may be more familiar with— Carbonara Recipe Filipino Style! This makes use of plenty of all-purpose cream, as well as a few more seasonings like beef cube and nutmeg. Of course, this recipe would not be complete without the crispy bacon that perfectly contrasts the smoothness of our pasta. If you have not yet tried this version, I would highly suggest giving it a shot!

I also want to introduce you to another way of having your carbonara if you are trying to avoid meat. This dish lets you enjoy your pasta with some seafood.

Festive Tuna Carbonara

My Festive Tuna Carbonara recipe is vibrant both in presentation and taste. It’s got a beautiful mix of toppings from bell pepper to bacon to, of course, tuna. This terrific mix makes it perfect for the holidays as well as any celebration you have planned in the near future. And by the near future, I do mean that you can whip this up real quickly. The cook time for this is around 15 minutes as you will only be combining these ingredients for the most part. There is also something really special about the savory and buttery taste of tuna. It truly adds a beautiful texture and taste to our pasta that you will not want to miss out on.

Now we can head back to making some easy, delicious Carbonara! Just follow the steps below.

How to Cook Carbonara

You will need 300 grams of spaghetti for this. Now cook this up as indicated on the package’s instructions. Afterwards, drain the water you used, and set the spaghetti aside.

Grab a pan, and let this get hot. Put 8 strips you’ve cut into ½ cm slices in the pan. Then just cook these until they get nice and crunchy. Transfer this to a clean plate, and set this aside too.

We will use the same pan to melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, you can add 2 cloves of garlic you’ve chopped finely. Sauté this for 10 seconds, and then incorporate ½ cup of sliced button mushrooms, as well as 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Then just cook everything for 30 seconds as you are stirring.

Put 1 68g pack of Knorr Cream of Mushroom Soup and 3 cups of water together. Stir these well, and then pour the mixture into your pan. Keep cooking everything as you are stirring just until the sauce gets as thick as you would like.

Add ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese you grated. Also sprinkle in as much ground black pepper as you prefer. Then you can turn your heat off. Start tossing the pasta into the sauce, making sure you have evenly distributed the mixture. After that, you can just transfer your dish to a serving plate of choice. We will just place our cooked bacon from earlier, as well as some more parmesan cheese as toppings. Then you’re all done! 

Great job on making this Carbonara dish with me! Interested in cooking more of these simple and tasty Panlasang Pinoy recipes? Just scroll through the website to find your next cooking venture!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Pinoy Carbonara Recipe with Ham and Bacon

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

Instructions

• Cook the spaghetti based on package instructions. Drain the water and set it aside.

• Heat pan. Add the bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove from the pan. Set aside.

• Melt butter on the same pan where the bacon was cooked. Saute garlic for 10 seconds. Add mushrooms and all-purpose flour. Cook for 30 seconds while stirring.

• Combine Knorr Cream of Mushroom Soup and water. Stir. Pour the mixture into the pan. Continue cooking while stirring until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.

• Season with parmesan cheese and ground black pepper.

• Turn the heat off and toss the pasta.

• Transfer to a serving plate and top with bacon slices and more parmesan cheese.

• Serve. Share and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 555kcal (28%) Carbohydrates: 65g (22%) Protein: 19g (38%) Fat: 24g (37%) Saturated Fat: 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 0.2g Cholesterol: 43mg (14%) Sodium: 494mg (21%) Potassium: 426mg (12%) Fiber: 3g (12%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 158IU (3%) Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 97mg (10%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

© copyright: Vanjo Merano