A creative twist on the Roman classic — Pistachio Carbonara. It keeps the silky egg-and-cheese base but adds nutty pistachios for depth and texture.
🧾 Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti or rigatoni
- 150 g (5 oz) guanciale (or pancetta)
- 3 large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano (finely grated)
- ½ cup unsalted pistachios (shelled, lightly toasted)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, for frying)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Extra Pecorino & crushed pistachios for garnish
🍳 Instructions
- Cook pasta
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water.
- Prepare guanciale
- Dice guanciale and fry in a skillet until crispy. Remove from heat.
- Make pistachio-egg sauce
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks + whole egg with Pecorino.
- Grind pistachios into a coarse paste (food processor or mortar).
- Mix pistachio paste into egg-cheese mixture. Season with black pepper.
- Combine
- Toss hot drained pasta with guanciale.
- Remove skillet from direct heat.
- Add pistachio-egg mixture, stirring quickly to coat.
- Add reserved pasta water gradually until sauce is silky.
- Serve
- Plate pasta, sprinkle with extra Pecorino and crushed pistachios.
🌟 Chef’s Tip
For a creamier texture, blend pistachios with a splash of pasta water before mixing into the egg-cheese base.
