My Carbonara Pasta Bake is a luscious, creamy baked version of pasta carbonara loaded with parmesan cheese and traditional pancetta.
The recipe I am bringing you today is honest-to-goodness comfort food. No diets allowed - you can watch your calories tomorrow...oh boy, this is gooooood pasta. Smooth, creamy, cheesy sauce coating penne pasta with fresh black pepper and pancetta. Carbonara Pasta Bake. OMG, I just realized it even has carb in the name!
The sauce uses egg yolks only, not the whites, so it stays creamy and flowing. I also use the traditional pancetta in this recipe, but you could substitute smoked bacon if you can't find it.
Ingredients you will need for this pasta bake
- penne pasta
- pure cream
- egg yolks
- parmesan cheese
- garlic
- pancetta (you could substitute smoked bacon)
- olive oil (if needed - see my notes)
- mozzarella cheese
- ground black pepper
- fine salt to taste
*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions
How to make carbonara pasta bake
- Combine cream, egg yolks, parmesan cheese, pepper (and salt to taste) in a jug and mix well, then set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, less one minute.
- Meanwhile, fry the pancetta until starting to crisp.
- Add garlic to pancetta, frying for another minute then switching off the heat.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain and return to the same pot then mix through the pancetta and garlic mixture.
- Add cream mixture to pasta, and mix well to coat completely.
- Pour pasta into baking dish.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and bake.
Top tips for making this pasta bake
- Can't find pancetta? You could substitute smoked bacon.
- You may not need any oil when you are frying off the pancetta, as the fat renders out as it cooks. If it seems a little dry, add a tsp or two of olive oil as it cooks.
- I don't add too much extra salt during the cooking process, as the saltiness of pancetta can vary. You can always add more salt at the end.
Other creamy pasta recipes you may like
Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake - one of my most popular recipes! Leftover chicken (or rotisserie/bbq), smoky bacon and pasta all coated in a simple 2 ingredient cheese sauce.
Creamy Crab Pasta with Chilli - a fresh combination of tomato, basil, chilli, garlic & lemon added to sweet crab meat, all together in a creamy sauce served with angel hair pasta.
Shrimp (Prawn) Pasta with Bacon - creamy avocado combined with prawns (shrimp) and bacon, in a creamy garlic sauce.
Carbonara Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 250 g penne pasta 9 oz
- 1-2 tsp olive oil (if needed - see notes)
- 150 g sliced pancetta roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 300 ml pure cream (see notes)
- 60 g finely grated fresh parmesan ¾ cup
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 40 g shredded mozzarella (not fresh) ⅓ cup
- fine salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c/350ff.
- Combine cream (300 ml), egg yolks (2), finely grated parmesan cheese (60 g/¾ cup), ground pepper (2 tsp) and salt to taste in a jug and mix well, then set aside.
- Cook pasta (250 g/9 oz) according to package directions, less one minute.
- Meanwhile, in a medium frypan, fry the pancetta over medium-high heat until starting to crisp, adding 1-2 tsp of olive oil if needed. Then add crushed garlic (3 cloves) and fry for another minute, then switch off heat.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain and return it to the same pot then mix through the pancetta and garlic mixture to coat the pasta.
- Add cream mixture to warm pasta while still in the pot, and mix well to coat completely, continuing to mix for about a minute.
- Pour pasta into baking dish, then top with shredded mozzarella cheese (40 g/⅓ cup) and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until mozzarella is lightly browned then serve.
Notes
- "Pure cream" in Australia is cream with 35% milk fat and with no added thickeners.
- Can't find pancetta? You could substitute smoked bacon.
- You may not need any oil when you are frying off the pancetta, as the fat renders out as it cooks. If it seems a little dry, add a tsp or two of olive oil as it cooks.
- I don't add too much extra salt during the cooking process, as the saltiness of pancetta can vary. You can always add more salt at the end.
- The reason we continue to mix the pasta for a minute after the cream mixture is added is that the warm pasta is starting to cook the egg yolks and we want to it to stay smooth.
