Tortellini Carbonara

15-minutes and a 6 simple ingredients is all that stands between you and this delicious new take on carbonara. Following the traditional method for making creamy carbonara without cream, dry tortellini is what gives this recipe a fun new twist.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Cook Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 654kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Equipment

Ingredients

2 servings dried ham & cheese tortellini or fresh / refrigerated / frozen, any filling
¼ cup pasta cooking water or more, to consistency
⅓ cup bacon or guanciale / pancetta
2 egg yolks
¼ cup grated pecorino cheese + more for serving (optional); or more parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese + more for serving (optional); or more pecorino cheese
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper + more for serving (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the tortellini in unsalted water for about 1 minute less than the package states - until almost done. Then take off the heat and drain the pasta water, but make sure to reserve at least 1 dl / ½ cup for use in the sauce.
2 servings dried ham & cheese tortellini
While the tortellini is cooking, dice the bacon and place in a cold pan. Place the pan over medium heat and sear the bacon until cooked but not crispy. Then take off the heat, but keep the bacon with its fat in the pan.
⅓ cup bacon
In a bowl, mix together grated pecorino cheese, parmesan cheese, egg yolks and fresh ground black pepper.
2 egg yolks, ¼ cup grated pecorino cheese, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Just when the pasta is done, bring out the pan with bacon and bacon fat and place the tortellini in the pan. Do not place over heat! Add some pasta water as well, starting with 2 Tbsp, and mix quickly. Then add the cheese & egg mixture and mix well, adding more pasta water if the pasta looks dry, until the sauce is creamy. Taste test and add salt if needed.
¼ cup pasta cooking water
Serve immediately, and top with more cheese and fresh ground black pepper if desired!

Video

Notes

Don't salt the pasta water. Since bacon, pecorino and tortellini are all pretty salty it's better to add salt later and only if needed.

Don't overcook the tortellini. It will keep cooking a bit when you add it to the pan with the sauce, so cook it about 1 minute less than the package says.

Start your bacon in a cold pan. This allows as much fat as possible to seep out, and we need that fat to make a really creamy carbonara.

Make sure your pan is not too hot or your egg yolks might scramble. You want the eggs to heat up enough to merge well with the other ingredients, but not so much that they resemble breakfast. To avoid this, remove the pan from the heat for a while before adding, and don't add the egg mixture when the pan is over a heat source.

Make sure the pasta and pasta water ARE hot enough. Add them fresh and hot from the pot to make sure they're hot enough to melt the cheese and create a creamy sauce.

Any type of carbonara is best eaten straight away. When storing and reheating the sauce almost always breaks. It's still tasty, but not at all as good as when eaten fresh.

If you still want to store leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days

I don't recommend freezing leftovers.

Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each segment.

Nutrition