From Cook's Illustrated. Nice and simple with ingredients I usually have. The only concern is that they start out the recipe by saying "Most carbonara pastas are so rich that it’s hard to eat a whole bowlful. We lightened the usual recipe..." which is a bad sign. It usually means the food nazis got ahold of it and decided to make it "healthier" or some such garbage. Well, maybe it's still edible.
Couple other important notes: use only 2 quarts water to boil the pasta. This concentrates the starch in the water which is important because the water is used afterwards to thicken the sauce. Also, very important to warm the bowl that the spaghetti and sauce are mixed in (step 3), it helps prevent the sauce from seizing which it can do if it cools too much. .
Ingredients
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated (1 1/4 cups)
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Bring bacon and water to simmer in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until water evaporates and bacon begins to sizzle, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until fat renders and bacon browns, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Strain bacon mixture through fine-mesh strainer set in bowl. Set aside bacon mixture. Measure out 1 tablespoon fat and place in medium bowl. Whisk Pecorino, eggs and yolk, and pepper into fat until combined.
2. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Set colander in large bowl. Add spaghetti and salt to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Drain spaghetti in colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1 cup cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder. Return spaghetti to now-empty bowl.
3. Slowly whisk 1/2 cup reserved cooking water into Pecorino mixture. Gradually pour Pecorino mixture over spaghetti, tossing to coat. Add bacon mixture and toss to combine. Let spaghetti rest, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats spaghetti, 2 to 4 minutes, adjusting consistency with remaining reserved cooking water if needed. Serve immediately.