French Carbonara pasta with Crême fraiche (Recipe)
Main ingredients:
 | Spaghetti or Tagliatelli |
 | Bacon lardons |
 | Eggs |
 | Onion |
 | Parmesan |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
 | Heavy cream or crême fraiche |
 | Garlic powder or flakes |
 | Salt and pepper |
If you are Italian, you are probably not going to like the recipe for French carbonara that the locals like to make in the country next-door, France. And that is because pasta carbonara is a classic Italian dish of pasta in sauce made primarily with eggs, cheese, and bacon or pancetta.
The French have adopted this pasta dish and made a critical change. In the quest for a creamy pasta, the traditional French carbonara recipe calls for adding crême fraïche (heavy cream) into the pot.
Other changes are less egregious. In France, rather than bacon or pancetta which are more difficult to find, supermarkets sell matchstick size lardons made of pork. It makes a quick and easy addition to any meal, since they cook faster due to their small size.
If you can’t find lardons where you are though, the original bacon or pancetta will work quite well, as you may imagine! So anyway, let’s get cooking, shall we? Allons-y!
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French Carbonara with Crême fraiche (Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound of pasta like spaghetti or tagliatelli (500g)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of crême fraiche (heavy cream) (25cl)
- 1 onion
- 1/2 pound of bacon or lardons (250g)
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- pinch of garlic powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot to boil with water and add the pasta along with a pinch of salt.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan sauté the bacon lardons and the onions until the bacon is crispy. (Remove from heat once cooked.)
- In a mixing bowl, combine the raw eggs, crême fraiche, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain the water and return to the cooking pot on reduced heat.
- Add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta along with the bacon and onions.
- Combine the mixed pasta on reduced heat for around 5-7 minutes, adding additional parmesan if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with it?
You can serve French pasta carbonara with a starter like coquilles saint jacques en pesto as a starter or a light salad with vinaigrette. In warm weather, you can also serve it with provençale tomatoes.
What drinks to serve with it?
French carbonara pasta will go well with a dry white wine from the Loire or a light red from Beaujolais. You can also pair it with a fruity rosé from Provence. You can read more about French wines here.
How to store it?
French pasta carbonara is not a dish that freezes very well, so I don’t recommend it. However, if you do want to freeze it, let it cool completely and place it in an airtight glass container.
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