Gnocchi Carbonara

Gnocchi Carbonara is a easy and comforting dish that uses fluffy and pillowy gnocchi tossed with a classic carbonara sauce. It's rich, salty, creamy and so good!

If you're a carbonara lover you've got to try this recipe.

After swapping spaghetti for gnocchi to make a last-minute quick dinner we could not believe how rich and comforting this was.

The soft, starchy gnocchi creates an extra creamy sauce and soaks up so much flavour that every bite is extra good.

Our classic carbonara recipe uses whole eggs whereas here we've used only yolks for a richer sauce, everything else is the same. Trust us you'll be making this one over and over again!

Ingredients – what you need

This recipe is made with only 5 simple ingredients but the quality is important, s ee the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need plus important tips!

• Gnocchi – you can use either store-bought or homemade potato gnocchi to make this recipe. Using store-bought will make this a quick and easy meal but homemade gnocchi will take it up a notch.
• Guanciale (cured pork jowl) – this is a important ingredient for making carbonara sauce, see all the fat running through it in the photo above? That's flavour! It's also much stronger tasting than pancetta so for a classic taste use guanciale otherwise pancetta or bacon lardons will work.
• Egg yolks – by using the egg yolks only and no egg white it creates an extra rich sauce which is good. If you want, you can use one whole egg instead of two yolks.
• Pecorino Romano cheese – this is another classic ingredient used to make carbonara although you can use Parmigiano Reggiano instead.
• Black pepper – freshly ground black pepper is essential but whatever you do don't add any salt unless you are using a cut of pancetta without much fat.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Fry the guanciale in a large skillet or frying pan until golden and crispy. Once crispy, turn off the heat and add the gnocchi to the boiling water (photos 1 & 2).

Meanwhile mix the egg yolks, pecorino cheese, and black pepper in a small bowl. It should be a thick paste consistency (photos 3 & 4).

Add a splash of reserved pasta water (2-3 tbsp) to the egg yolk mixture and mix to loosen and emulsify it (photo 5).

Once the gnocchi are floating on top of the water remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet with the guanciale. Toss to coat in the fat (photo 6).

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet with the gnocchi and stir until evenly coated and thickened slightly. Serve in bowls with more black pepper and grating of cheese (photos 7 & 8).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Trim the guanciale – if your guanciale or pancetta comes in a block trim off the dark seasoned skin or it'll give your sauce a gritty texture.
• Don't drain the fat – whatever you do DO NOT drain any of the fat from the pan after frying. That's what gives carbonara its good flavour!
• Beware of seasoning – if you use good quality guanciale or pancetta that comes in block it will be already well seasoned so do not add any additional salt. If you use bacon or pre-cubed pancetta with hardly any fat you will probably need to add salt to season it. Taste a piece once it's fried to judge how salty it is.
• Adding the eggs – turn the skillet off of the heat, add the gnocchi, toss them in the fat and THEN add the egg yolk mixture. That way the skillet isn't too hot so it'll gently cook the eggs instead of scrambling them.
• Serving sizes – because gnocchi is denser it weighs more than pasta. Where 1.1 lbs or 500g of pasta is more than enough to serve 4 people we find that it's only enough to serve 2-3 decent sized portions of gnocchi. To serve 4 people as a main course we recommend doubling the recipe.

Should we add cream?

No, not only does cream completely change the flavour it's already rich enough that you don't need to add any more fat. Step away from the cream.

How do we store leftovers?

Unfortunately carbonara is not something that keeps well. It's best eaten immediately as you can't reheat it.

More good gnocchi recipes to try

• Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
• Easy Pesto Gnocchi
• Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Broccoli Cream Sauce
• Homemade Potato Gnocchi – Step by Step

Ingredients

Makes 2 - 3 servings

• 1.1 lbs gnocchi ((500g))
• 2 medium egg yolks
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano (finely grated (30g) Parmigiano Reggiano can also be used)
• ½ cup Guanciale ((100g) good quality pancetta can also be used)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp reserved pasta water

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Fry the guanciale (1/2 cup/100g) in a large skillet or frying pan until golden and crispy. Once crispy, turn off the heat and add the gnocchi (1.1 lbs/500g) to the boiling water.

3. Meanwhile mix the egg yolks (2 medium), pecorino cheese (½ cup/30g) and black pepper (1/2 tsp) in a small bowl. It should be a thick paste consistency.

4. Add a splash of reserved pasta water (2-3 tbsp) to the egg yolk mixture and mix to loosen and emulsify it.

5. Once the gnocchi are floating on top of the water remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet with the guanciale. Toss to coat in the fat.

6. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and toss with the gnocchi until thoroughly coated and thickened slightly.

7. Serve immediately in bowls with more black pepper and grating of cheese.

Kitchen notes

• Trim the guanciale if your guanciale or pancetta comes in a block trim off the dark seasoned skin or it'll give your sauce a gritty texture.
• Don't drain the fat whatever you do DO NOT drain any of the fat from the pan after frying. That's what gives carbonara its good flavour!
• Beware of seasoning if you use good quality guanciale or pancetta that comes in block it will be already well seasoned so do not add any additional salt. If you use bacon or pre-cubed pancetta with hardly any fat you will probably need to add salt to season it. Taste a piece once it's fried to judge how salty it is.
• Adding the eggs turn the skillet off of the heat, add the gnocchi, toss them in the fat and THEN add the egg yolk mixture. That way the skillet isn't too hot so it'll gently cook the eggs instead of scrambling them.
• Serving sizes because gnocchi is denser it weighs more than pasta. Where 1.1 lbs or 500g of pasta is more than enough to serve 4 people we find that it's only enough to serve 2-3 decent sized portions of gnocchi. To serve 4 people as a main course we recommend doubling the recipe.
• Leftovers and storage carbonara isn't a sauce that keeps well. This is best served immediately as it can't be reheated or frozen.