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Pumpkin Carbonara

Pumpkin carbonara is a creamy Italian-American pasta made with pumpkin puree and a silky egg-yolk Parmesan sauce. Toss hot spaghetti with crispy pancetta, then use reserved pasta water off-heat so the sauce coats every strand without scrambling.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Spaghetti or rigatoni
  • 1 lb spaghetti or rigatoni Use spaghetti or rigatoni for the best sauce cling.
Pancetta or thick-cut bacon
  • 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon Dice so it crisps quickly and evenly.
Egg-yolk sauce
  • 4 egg yolks Separate eggs and keep yolks at room temperature for smoother emulsifying.
  • 0.3333333333 cup pumpkin puree Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
  • 1 cup parmesan Finely grated melts into the sauce.
  • 0.003125 tsp nutmeg Freshly ground tastes best.
  • 1 tsp black pepper Generous is key; add more at the end.
  • 0.25 cup pasta cooking water Reserve before draining; use to loosen and emulsify the sauce.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes very well-seasoned, then cook spaghetti or rigatoni until al dente.
  2. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Crisp pancetta and bloom garlic
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook diced pancetta or thick-cut bacon until crispy.
  2. Add minced garlic to the crisp pancetta and cook for 1 minute, then remove the skillet from the heat completely.
Make the pumpkin egg mixture
  1. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, pumpkin puree, finely grated parmesan, nutmeg, and black pepper until smooth.
Toss to create a silky sauce
  1. Add the hot pasta to the pancetta pan and remove from the heat completely.
  2. Quickly pour in the egg mixture and toss continuously to coat the pasta.
  3. Add the reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time while tossing until the sauce turns silky and clings to the pasta.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately with extra finely grated parmesan and a generous crack of black pepper.

Notes

Pro tip: keep everything off heat when adding the egg mixture so the residual heat thickens it without scrambling. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; rewarm gently on low with a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the egg-based sauce can separate. For a gluten-free swap, use gluten-free spaghetti or rigatoni and cook according to package directions.