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Pumpkin Carbonara

Pumpkin carbonara is a creamy Italian-American pasta where a pumpkin-egg-parmesan sauce turns silky without scrambling. Toss spaghetti with crispy pancetta and reserved pasta water for a glossy coating and plenty of black pepper.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

spaghetti or rigatoni
  • 1 lb spaghetti or rigatoni Use dry; reserve pasta water.
pancetta or thick-cut bacon
  • 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon Dice for even crisping.
egg yolks
  • 4 egg yolks Separate eggs and keep yolks only.
pumpkin puree
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree Use plain pumpkin puree.
parmesan
  • 1 cup parmesan Finely grate; plus extra for serving.
garlic
  • 3 garlic Minced cloves.
pasta cooking water
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water Reserved from boiling pasta.
nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg Ground nutmeg.
black pepper
  • 1 tsp black pepper Generous amount, freshly cracked if possible.
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt Add to boiling water and to taste.

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta and pancetta
  1. Bring a large pot of very well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti or rigatoni until al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
  2. In a large skillet, cook the pancetta (or thick-cut bacon) over medium heat until crispy, then add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
  3. Remove the skillet from the heat immediately after the 1 minute garlic cook.
Make the pumpkin-egg sauce and toss
  1. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, pumpkin puree, grated parmesan, nutmeg, and black pepper until smooth and thick.
  2. Add the hot pasta to the pancetta pan and remove from heat completely so the sauce won’t scramble the eggs.
  3. Quickly add the egg mixture to the pasta, tossing continuously, and add reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until a silky sauce forms.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately with extra parmesan and a generous crack of black pepper.

Notes

Pro tip: take the skillet off the burner before adding the egg mixture, then toss fast so the residual heat cooks the eggs into a glossy sauce. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently so the sauce loosens with a splash of water (freezing not recommended). For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat parmesan and replace half the pancetta with turkey bacon (crisp as written).