National Carbonara Day, Giada's Way

Carbonara is a pasta dish you'll find on every menu in Rome - and this is Giada's spin on it!

Stumble across any carbonara discussion on the internet, and you'll find yourself in the midst of a heated debate. Egg yolks, or whole eggs? Pecorino or Parmigiano? Guanciale or Pancetta? 

Our verdict? It's all delicious, so there's no need to fuss!

In Giada's Sweet Onion Carbonara, she took all those flavor profiles we love about the classic pasta and amped them up with some new additions. Lightly caramelized onions bring out a ton of sweetness in the otherwise very savory pasta, and some cream and gruyere give it some serious creaminess. Basically, anyone who is debating the legitimacy of what is and isn't carbonara won't be complaining when they take a bite of this dreamy pasta!

In honor of International Carbonara Day on April 6th (a holiday that's definitely worth celebrating in our book!) here are some tips from our Culinary Director, Lish Steiling, for achieving Carbonara success!

1. Don't forget to use the pasta water. The starchy water is what helps the sauce stick to the pasta and get the right consistency of the sauce and pasta. My rule of thumb? Always reserve a little more than the recipe calls for. Some extra pasta water will (literally!) always get you out of a sticky situation!

2. Take your time on the onions. The sweetness will naturally come out if you just coax them a little. If you feel like they need a little more time to get that light caramelization, don't rush it - let them do their thing!

3. When adding the egg mixture, go low and slow. You don't want to scramble to eggs, so control the heat. There are a lot of settings before high!

4. Don't skimp on the course black pepper. It has a purpose here. Not only is it classic, but it adds a bite. I always recommend freshly grinding whole peppercorns as opposed to buying pre-ground pepper - so much more flavor!