Do you watch Criminal Minds? Then you’re in for a treat. This is based on David Rossi’s carbonara recipe!
(Do you love recipes based on books and movies? You will love this Treacle Tart – Harry Potter’s Favourite!)
Remember that episode where Rossi had the team over at his house and taught them how to cook carbonara (how geeky do I sound right now)?
I’ve always wanted to make that and after a significant amount of searching I found a recipe in a French fan page that they claimed was from Joe Mantegna himself (yes, I may have too much time on my hands).
I’ve since tweaked it here and there and it is fabulous! No cream, just eggs, pancetta and lotsa cheese. And guess what else? I cooked it! Not Red, me. (Ok, I may have had some help with chopping, slicing and such.)
It’s practically the only thing I can cook (insert: big proud smile right here). So let’s step into the world of BAU for a moment and bask in the deliciousness that is this carbonara.
How do you make traditional carbonara sauce?
I grew up eating creamy carbonara. And by that I mean carbonara made with cream. I only recently found out that this is very, very wrong.
Traditional carbonara has no drop of cream in it. So what makes it so creamy?
Are eggs in carbonara cooked?
Egg yolks (and not cream) are what make traditional carbonara dreamy and creamy.
You guys know I have raw egg issues (check out my Eggless Key Lime Pie and my Eggless Tiramisu) so I can understand your hesitation.
The first few times I made this I ended up scrambling the eggs; I was so eager to pour the eggs into the hot pan and let them sit a little to cook.
What I’ve found is the residual heat from the pasta/pan will cook them so have no fear.
And you shouldn’t let the egg mixture sit at all; you need to quickly toss the pasta so the egg mixture coats everything and doesn’t turn into a scrambled mess.
Secret to creamy carbonara
Also, don’t throw away the pasta water. I did the first time – I know, rookie mistake.
What you want to do is pour about a quarter cup into your pasta, continue mixing until you get the creaminess you want (not too much though, we don’t want it soupy).
Related: Sweet and Salty Filipino-Style Spaghetti
Easy carbonara recipe
Once you’ve done that you’ll have this amazing dish that’s so quick to prepare it’s perfect for those busy weeknights. It’s so good too it’s great for when you have company over.
Looking to make a chicken dish? Try this delicious chicken carbonara.
Hope you give it a try, whether you’re a fan of Criminal Minds
or not (this past season was weird TBH). It is awesome and hey, if I can cook it you absolutely most definitely can!
(And if you have leftover pancetta, you can make delicious pasta and peas or penne al baffo.)
Happy cooking!
Did you try David Rossi’s carbonara recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
David Rossi’s Carbonara Recipe (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta you can use your favourite pasta: spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine or bucatini
- ½ lb pancetta diced
- 1 cup chopped onions
- olive oil for frying
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 4 pcs egg yolks from large eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Cook 1 pound pasta until al dente. While that’s cooking, in a large pan on medium heat cook ½ pound diced pancetta and 1 cup chopped onions in olive oil until pancetta is browned and onions are soft.
- Combine your cheese then pour half of it with your 4 egg yolks. Beat lightly until combined.
- At this point your pasta and pancetta should be ready. Drain the pasta (reserve some of the pasta water) and transfer into your pan. Remove from heat.
- Pour your egg mixture into the pan and toss the pasta until coated. Pour about ¼ cup pasta water in your pan and continue tossing until you get the creaminess you want. If you need to put more pasta water, do so a little at a time so your pasta doesn’t get too runny.
- Add the rest of your cheese and toss some more. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with chopped parsley.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Andrea Broom
this looks very tasty, one of my favorite pastas ever, love how it is creamy, rich and still not drowned in sauce. good parmesan really does make a big difference. thanks for sharing
Jolina
I absolutely agree! Good cheese makes all the difference. We got hold of this amazing Pecorino Romano from our local cheese shop too which made this carbonara out of this world delicious.
Heather
Oh yes this looks like the ultimate in comfort food. Can’t wait to make it for my fam.
Saidah Washington
I loved that episode. Now all of my favorite Criminal Minds characters are gone. So sad.
Jolina
Oh I know. It kinda feels like when Grissom left CSI, though I’m liking the new characters they’re introducing every season. In any case, we’ll always have carbonara! 🙂
Maureen
This looks like a delicious carbonara recipe to try! I will certainly be making up this week for dinner one night. Sounds and looks yummy!
Dominique
OMG Carbonara is one of my biggest weaknesses! This looks SOO good. I didn’t realize one should only use egg yolk, thanks for the tip!
Jolina
Hi Dominique! Some recipes say use the whole egg but I think egg yolks make it that much more creamier 🙂
Mindy
This looks very good! I like the use of pancetta I think it would give very good flavor. I get nervous about raw eggs as well but now maybe I feel a little better that they cook!
Jolina
Hi Mindy! Pancetta is the bomb. It’s like bacon but better (can you imagine lol!). And trust me, someone who has crazy raw egg issues, you should be ok 🙂
Carola
Carbonara is great. I always love eating this. But I rarely make it myself. This recipe males me think again. Especially because it’s easy and I can use it for busy weeknights!
Juli Purcell
I don’t watch Criminal Minds, however now I want to! This sounds and looks soooo good!!!!
Jana
Looks so good, makes me dread the frozen alfredo pasta I’ll be having for dinner tonight! will have to try this out this weekend.
Jolina
LOL! I’m sure you can dress it up 🙂 Do try making this carbonara from scratch, it’s quite delightful.
Carrie
I’ve always thrown out my pasta water. Now, I know!
Jolina
I know right?! I didn’t know they’re useful too. Now we’re going to be master pasta cooks watch out world 🙂 Thanks Carrie!
Maria
this is such a classic italian meal. I have not made it in a while, need to make it this week.
Rachel Teodoro
I’ve not made this before but would love to add it to my dinner list this week.
christine
I’m a big fan of Criminal Minds but I can’t for the life of me remember this. Either way, I love carbonara and this looks delish.
Jolina
Hi Christine. I had to google that episode and what do you know, it’s on YouTube (why did I doubt it lol!). Here’s the link if you want to have a look (no affiliation to the account BTW!) – https://youtu.be/CyWnNZmtzJg
robin rue
I don’t watch this show, but I still want to try this recipe! It sounds amazing delicious! My family will love it.
Dawn
High five to you girl for putting out a WICKED recipe! I LOVES me some carbonara. Seriously. So good. I mean, pasta, pancetta…..what’s not to love? I could eat my weight in that. I watched a few episodes of Criminal Minds, but never really got into it, but had I know there was an episode talking about food I would have continued to watch, lol. Pinning this beauty and making soon 🙂
Jolina
High five! What’s not to love right? I mean, just all the cheeses 🙂 I actually got into the series late somewhat so I binge watched (as you know I am prone to do lol) the first 2 seasons or something. I was hooked! Thanks for the pin!