Carbonara pasta

Carbonara is a classic Roman pasta dish celebrated for its creamy, rich sauce made without any cream. Its core ingredients are guanciale (cured pork cheek), Pecorino Romano cheese, eggs, and freshly ground black pepper, all tossed with spaghetti or rigatoni. It hails from Rome, Italy, with a history tied to the charcoal workers (carbonari) of the Apennine mountains.

🍳 View the full Carbonara pasta recipe →

🍽️ Nutrition at a glance

This dish is high in both carbohydrates from the pasta and fat from the guanciale, egg yolks, and cheese, providing a substantial amount of protein. A typical serving contains roughly 600-800 calories, depending on portion size and the specific ratio of ingredients.

Nutrition breakdown

Calories	550 kcal
Protein	25 g
Carbs	60 g
Fat	25 g
Fiber	3 g
Sugar	4 g
Sodium	850 mg
Calcium	150 mg
Iron	3 mg
Potassium	200 mg
Vitamin A	150 mcg
Vitamin D	1 mcg
Vitamin B12	1.2 mcg
Cholesterol	100 mg
Selenium	30 mcg

Per 1 plate (300 g) · estimated, varies by recipe

💡 What's interesting

Authentic Carbonara is unique for its emulsified sauce, where the heat of the pasta gently cooks the egg and cheese mixture into a silky coating without scrambling. Nutritionally, it's a dense source of energy, historically valued as a hearty meal for manual laborers.