Artichoke Carbonara Recipe (2024)

I love the addition of artichokes, and do it all the time. In fact, for a vegetarian version (not traditional) I skip the pork, using olive oil and just the artichokes. Most cooks in Rome do not add pasta water, however, opting for one whole egg instead. The egg white adds the necessary smoothness and keeps the 'sauce' velvety

Pasta water is not added to carbonara because you have eggs to make the sauce. I generally use an equal mix of yolks and whole eggs. I also deglaze the guanciale pan with a little white wine, letting most but not all of it evaporate, which contributes to the sauce. This step is controversial in some households.

For a complete vegetarian version replace pancetta with caramelized onions. If done right it will bring the umami note to the dish.

Trader Joe's has wonderful frozen artichoke hearts (12 oz package)

Leftovers probably won't survive well--the egg will scramble if re-heated (and should be re-heated well--raw or raw-adjacent eggs need to be treated with respect!) But a classic use of leftover carbonara is to use as the base of a frittata, which makes a fine meal on its own. 2 cups or so leftover pasta in a well greased skillet, pour over about 6-8 eggs scrambled with some cream and top with cheese. Bake 375 about 40 mins.

Absolutely delicious!!! And a wonderful idea: a tweak on a classic (not an unrecognizable "fusion" that purports to be a classic but is NOT). Ingenious idea: adding artichokes (a Roman ingredient) to a quintessential Roman dish.We devoured it and plan to make it again this weekend!!!

Canned artichokes taste of the can. If you don’t want to bother with fresh ones, both bottled and frozen ones are far superior to tinnned

By far, the most controversial step in this recipe is step 6: "slowly drizzle 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water". No no no! My beloved late nonna forbade the reuse of soiled water of any kinda for any purpose, cooking included. Unless it has been run down to the chapel at the bottom of the hill by our village's youngest to be blessed by the town priest, water shall not be reserved. Fresh water such as that from the River Tiber is the only suitable option for situations like this.

I love this dish, but much prefer it with anchovies rather than guanciale or pancetta.

Delicious with country ham and local asparagus replacing the pancetta and artichokes.

I've been doing something similar with asparagus for years. Throw it in the pasta water to cook before making the pasta. If you immediately slice it at an angle and spread it out on the cutting board, no need to shock to keep it bright green. Then toss it into the guanciale same as you would the artichokes. I like the freshness of asparagus this time of year and it adds a bit of texture (don't overcook it!) and bright green color.

Delicious. Swapped the guanciale/pancetta for andouille and did not regret it.

Made as is but I love heat so had to add some red pepper flakes and extra black pepper. Absolutely delicious pantry meal.

This was particularly good. Don't skimp on the artichokes. My husband who usually finds pasta uninspiring, declared this "something special". I did like another cook suggested and turned the leftovers into frittata crust. It seemed bland with just added eggs and cream, so I mixed in sun dried tomatoes, garlic and more artichokes. Husband and son said that was "fun". High praise around here!

love the addition of artichokes, and do it all the time. In fact, for a vegetarian version (not traditional) I skip the pork, using olive oil and just the artichokes. Most cooks in Rome do not add pasta water, however, opting for one whole egg instead. The egg white adds the necessary smoothness and keeps the 'sauce' velvety

Besides the fact that carbonara is such a great dish in itself if you REALLY want to add artichokes (I can’t see a reason for this ) at least use the fresh kind, they are available all year round nowadays, avoid at all cost at least the canned version which are tasteless and soggy. No need to add cooking water, the eggs do the job perfectly.

Although carbonara recipes are generally good, this one was unremarkable due to the flavorless frozen artichoke hearts I used. Also, I halved the pasta because there’s only two of us, but I still had a barrel of it left over. The pan was overflowing during the cooking process with penne flying everywhere. If I’d used a full pound, I’d really have a mess. And who has the strength to toss all that?

It was a very delicious dish. The pasta didn't feel heavy since the sauce and the guanciale and the cheese made it so tasty.

This is one of my two favorite pasta recipes I've found in the NYT bank of recipes! Super easy and very flavorful. It's a staple when I'm looking for something easy and in the "comfort food" category. Love!

8 oz. Gaunciale (cut off rind). Camelized onions, 1 bag sun-dried tomatoes. No pasta water. 4 egg yolks and 4 whole eggs. Excellent. Thinking about adding capers next time

Best pasta I’ve ever made. Our cheap electric stovetop had to be kept on medium to reduce the guanciale/pancetta as described. The olive oil finisher is a must. And I agree it could do with a heftier serving of artichoke and pancetta for how much pasta this makes.

For a pescatarian version I mix in shredded smoked salmon instead of the pork. Caramelised leeks finely sliced on occasion too.

For a vegetarian version use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil (Trader Joe's are the best) instead of the meat.

If you roast the artichokes with olive oil at 350 for 20 minutes each side, much better flavor.

Made this with pan fried smoked trout cut up in small pieces and it was delicious.

We found the artichoke quarters to be too chewy/tough and seemed to be in conflict with the smooth texture of the dish, so next time, I'll use just the hearts or bottoms, but the husband said, yes, make it again.

Another NYT beauty. Loved the simplicity, just a couple of flavors with a creamy sauce background - but what flavours! How nice to get artichokes into something. Swapped out pancetta for prosciutto - worked great because it's so thin it crisped up nicely. This is a keeper for sure. Not gonna worry about reheating- if the egg scrambles a bit so be it.

Can I substitute Eggbeaters for eggs?

Delicious! I threw in about a third of a cup of chopped onion as well. I don’t know if that’s sacrilege but it tasted good. I ended up using 3 egg yolks and a full egg in the sauce, taking the tip from others that the yolk would lend creaminess. I did blend in about a quarter cup of pasta water as well. It all came together beautifully. This will definitely enter the dinner rotation!

This was okay, not great. Definitely need to double the pancetta.