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Pasta carbonara with ham and cream

Pasta Carbonara with Ham and Cream

Distinctive, savory, appetizing — perfect for dinner! Pasta carbonara with ham and cream is a take on the classic recipe. Here, ham stands in for the traditional bacon, and the sauce is built on cream. What stays the same: plenty of cheese and ground black pepper.

Julia

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Spaghetti

200

Water

Salt

Ham

200

Cream (20%)

150

Egg yolks

Parmesan (including 40 grams for serving)

100

Garlic

Olive oil

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 3 g

Fats 43 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 36 % 5 g

88 kcal

GI: 0 / 100 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you make pasta carbonara with ham and cream? Get the ingredients ready. Use only durum-wheat pasta — it holds up best to cooking. Parmesan is the cheese to use for carbonara; it gives the pasta a slightly sharp taste and a special aroma. You can swap in another hard cheese, of course, but only a good-quality one. The classic seasoning for carbonara is ground black pepper.
Step 2:

Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
Step 3:

Cut the ham into thin strips. Choose a leaner ham — the dish has enough calories as it is.
Step 4:

Put the pasta water on to boil. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Warm the garlic, stirring, for 1 minute, then remove it from the pan — this gives the oil a savory taste and aroma. If you'd rather leave the garlic in, chop it finely first.
Step 5:

Drop the pasta into boiling salted water and cook for about 7 minutes, to al dente (check your spaghetti package) — that is, a little underdone. Put the ham in the skillet and fry over moderate heat until golden, stirring occasionally.
Step 6:

Make the sauce. How? Get the ingredients ready. You can use cream of any fat content, but I recommend 20% — it's best for sauces. In a small bowl, whisk the yolk with the cream.
Step 7:

Grate the cheese on the fine side, setting some aside for serving.
Step 8:

Add the rest of the cheese to the cream. Add ground black pepper, salt if you like, then stir. I skip the salt — the cheese is salty enough for me.
Step 9:

Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.
Step 10:

Add the pasta to the skillet with the ham right away and stir. Warm over low heat for 1–2 minutes.
Step 11:

Add the sauce.
Step 12:

Stir the pasta vigorously so the sauce coats it evenly. Warm it for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve the pasta right away, topped with grated parmesan and ground black pepper. Enjoy!

The sauce cools and thickens fairly quickly, so it's best to eat the pasta right away. Freshly made and hot, it's especially tasty and fragrant. Once you've made carbonara, it's impossible not to make it again.
For secrets, hacks, and all the most useful tips, see the article: "Cream and sour cream in a cream sauce: how do you keep them from curdling?"
How do you boil pasta properly? Use a roomy pot, with about 1 quart (1 liter) of water per 3.5 oz (100 g) of pasta — the key is that the pasta can float freely. Salt to taste. Bring the water to a boil. It's important to add the pasta to boiling water, or it may clump. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked or al dente (the time is always on the package). Drain the cooked pasta in a colander. There's no need to rinse it. If you're not mixing the pasta with sauce right away, you can return it from the colander to the pot and toss it gently with a teaspoon of olive oil (or a pat of butter) to keep it from sticking.
Any oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, beyond which it starts to burn and form toxic compounds, including carcinogens. For how to gauge frying temperature and choose the best oil for the job (and which to avoid), read here.