Gnocchi Carbonara is a super easy and comforting dish that uses fluffy and pillowy gnocchi tossed with a classic carbonara sauce. It's rich, salty, creamy and so delicious!
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 I 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 delicious.
Our classic carbonara recipe uses whole eggs whereas here I've used only yolks for a richer sauce, everything else is the same. Trust me 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, see 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 super quick and easy meal but homemade gnocchi will take it up a notch.
- Guanciale (cured pork jowl) - this is a super 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 delicious. 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 make sure to trim off the dark seasoned skin or it'll give your sauce a really 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 incredible 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 - make sure to 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 I find that it's only enough to serve 2-3 decent sized portions of gnocchi. To serve 4 people as a main course I recommend doubling the recipe.
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.
Unfortunately carbonara is not something that keeps well. It's best eaten immediately as you can't reheat it.
More delicious gnocchi recipes to try
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
- Easy Pesto Gnocchi
- Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Broccoli Cream Sauce
- Homemade Potato Gnocchi - Step by Step
If you’ve tried this Gnocchi Carbonara recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Gnocchi Carbonara
Ingredients
- 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
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoon reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Fry the guanciale (½ 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.
- Meanwhile mix the egg yolks (2 medium), pecorino cheese (½ cup/30g) and black pepper (½ tsp) in a small bowl. It should be a thick paste consistency.
- Add a splash of reserved pasta water (2-3 tbsp) to the egg yolk mixture and mix to loosen and emulsify it.
- 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.
- Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and toss with the gnocchi until thoroughly coated and thickened slightly.
- Serve immediately in bowls with more black pepper and grating of cheese.
Notes
- Trim the guanciale - if your guanciale or pancetta comes in a block make sure to trim off the dark seasoned skin or it'll give your sauce a really 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 incredible 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 - make sure to 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 I find that it's only enough to serve 2-3 decent sized portions of gnocchi. To serve 4 people as a main course I 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.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
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