This restaurant-quality Gnocchi Carbonara is so quick and easy to prepare, you won’t believe how indulgent it tastes! Pillowy potato gnocchi, smoky bacon, and sweet green peas are covered in a creamy and velvety-smooth cheese sauce. Serve it on a date night or on Valentine’s Day with your favorite wine!
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🥓 What Is Carbonara?
Carbonara (pronounced "kar-buh-NAHR-uh") is an Italian pasta dish that originated in Rome. It traditionally consists of spaghetti coated in a rich cream sauce made of beaten eggs, cheese, guanciale (pork cheek), and black pepper. It’s a super creamy, rich, and decadent meal!
In this Gnocchi Carbonara, I swap the spaghetti for soft, pillowy potato dumplings. The change in texture is equally comforting and satisfying. Gnocchi is my favorite pasta shape and carbonara is my favorite sauce, so Gnocchi Carbonara is truly the best of both worlds!
Since gnocchi is so chewy and bouncy, it holds up well to the creamy carbonara sauce. Each bite is full of rich and satisfying flavors and textures. Plus, you can whip it up in a flash with the substitutes and easy preparation techniques I’ve outlined.
Gnocchi carbonara is great for cozy weeknight dinners, date nights, or special occasions like Valentine’s Day! For more comforting pasta meals, try my Creamy Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Shrimp, Tortellini and Sausage Bake, or Sausage and Kale Pasta.
Why You'll Love It
- Quick: This delicious pasta dish is simple and convenient enough to prepare for busy weeknights. 25 minutes is all it takes for this restaurant-quality meal to come together!
- Indulgent: Gnocchi Carbonara is a warm, cozy, and hearty dish that’s perfect for cool weather months! It's great to serve for celebratory dinners with your parter or family.
- Easy to customize: You can substitute virtually all of the ingredients in this Gnocchi Carbonara to make it your own. No wrong choices here!
🧂 Ingredients
- Gnocchi: Just like my Chicken and Gnocchi recipe, I recommend shelf-stable gnocchi as it'll add the most starch to the pasta water. This is important to emulsify (aka thicken) the sauce without cream or flour. I've tested the recipe with refrigerated gnocchi, but the sauce doesn’t turn out quite as creamy.
- Eggs: Many carbonara recipes use egg yolks for a richer, creamier sauce. I like to use whole eggs to keep things simple. Make sure they are brought to room temperature before beating them with the cheese.
- Parmesan cheese: I love Parmesan cheese for recipes like Cavatappi Mac and Cheese and Air Fryer Parmesan Potato Wedges. I usually use refrigerated pre-grated cheese because it's what I have on hand but for best results, freshly grate a block of cheese yourself. Do not use the type with the green plastic cap - it will not melt well.
- Bacon: Diced bacon adds a rich and smoky flavor to Gnocchi Carbonara. I like to use sugar-free when possible.
- Peas: Although they’re not traditional, I love to add frozen peas for a pop of green color and burst of sweetness. They're totally optional though!
- Garlic: In a pasta dish like carbonara, garlic provides bold savory flavors.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a richer Gnocchi Carbonara, you can separate the two egg yolks from the whites and only use the yolks.
- Try Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan cheese for a more authentic carbonara sauce.
- Replace the bacon with guanciale (pork cheek) for the traditional protein choice. You should be able to locate it at a specialty Italian market. If you can’t find that, substitute it with pancetta, chicken, or even lobster.
- Instead of green peas, try different vegetables like steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, or onions.
- Make vegetarian gnocchi with carbonara sauce by omitting the bacon. You can also replace it with vegan bacon or tofu crumbles.
👩🏻🍳 How To Make Gnocchi Carbonara
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, have a pot of salted boiling water ready to go for the gnocchi.
In a large bowl, whisk together room temperature eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
STEP TWO: Add diced bacon into a large, cold skillet. Start cooking over medium-high heat until lightly golden and crispy, about 7-8 minutes total. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and discard all but 1-2 tablespoon bacon fat from the pan.
STEP THREE: Take the pan off the heat to let cool slightly and turn heat down to low. Add frozen peas and garlic to pan, keeping warm over low heat while the gnocchi cooks.
STEP FOUR: Drop gnocchi into boiling water and stir to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Cook according to package instructions, subtracting two minutes from cook time. When the gnocchi is almost done, ladle ¼ cup pasta water into a separate cup or bowl.
STEP FIVE: Once the gnocchi is done, use a slotted pan to transfer the pasta to the skillet with peas. Make sure you keep the remaining pasta water close by.
STEP SIX: Very slowly pour ¼ cup pasta water into the eggs while whisking.
STEP SEVEN: Transfer egg mixture to the skillet. Continuously stir until cheese melts and sauce becomes to thicken, adding 1 tablespoon of pasta water at a time as needed to help create a silky sauce. I usually add 3-4 more tablespoon of water. Keep the heat on medium-low maximum!
STEP EIGHT: Finally, stir in cooked bacon and season to taste. Serve immediately.
💭 Top Tips
- Have everything prepped: Once you begin this Gnocchi Carbonara recipe, it moves quite quickly. Make sure everything is set up and ready to go beforehand!
- Don’t overdo the water: Use as little water as needed to cook the gnocchi. This will keep the starch concentrated in the cooking water. The more starch in the pasta water, the silkier your final carbonara sauce will be.
- Render the fat: To render more fat while cooking the bacon, I recommend starting it in a cold pan. Also, take it out of the pan sooner than you think since it will continue to crisp as it cools. I prefer bacon on the chewier side for carbonara, so this is a personal preference.
- Don’t oversalt: Since pasta water and Parmesan cheese are two of the main ingredients in the sauce, don’t add too much salt to the pasta water.
- Don’t cook the eggs: Avoid scrambled eggs in your Gnocchi Carbonara by slowly drizzling in the pasta water to the bowl. This increases the temperature of the eggs to match the temperature of the hot gnocchi in the skillet. Also make sure to keep the heat low when mixing together the gnocchi with the sauce.
- Serve right away: This recipe is best served immediately after cooking for the best taste and texture.
What To Serve With Gnocchi Carbonara
- Bread: Soak up the rich and creamy carbonara sauce with a slice of garlic bread, your favorite crusty bread, bun, or baguette.
- Salad: To lighten up the meal, pair this gnocchi carbonara with a Winter Citrus Salad, Fall Harvest Salad, or Spinach and Strawberry Salad.
- Vegetables: Prepare an easy, vegetable-forward side like Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze, Bang Bang Brussels Sprouts, or Roasted Carrots and Green Beans.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Storing: This Gnocchi Carbonara is best served fresh as the textures and flavors are most appreciated this way. If you do end up with leftovers, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container. They will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a small pot on the stove over low-medium. You can thin the sauce out a little by adding a dash of water or cream. Stir until warmed to your liking.
Alternatively, microwave leftovers in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval.
📖 Recipe FAQs
A traditional carbonara sauce is made from guanciale (pork cheek), black pepper, Pecorino Romano, and beaten eggs. However, many recipes include garlic, Parmesan, bacon, or pancetta. It’s ultimately up to you!
Although gnocchi is a traditional pasta shape, it’s made out of potatoes. It’s technically considered to be more of a dumpling rather than pasta. Oftentimes, the two terms are used interchangeably.
No, a classic carbonara should be made without cream. However, you can add ingredients that you prefer to completely customize the recipe.
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📋 Recipe
Gnocchi Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 slices (2.5 oz) bacon diced
- ½ cup frozen peas (optional)
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb gnocchi shelf-stable recommended
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Have a pot of salted water boiling and ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Add bacon to a large cold skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly golden, about 7-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain all but 1-2 tablespoon bacon fat.
- Turn heat down to medium-low, take skillet off heat to let cool sightly, then add peas and garlic. Return pan to heat and keep warm while gnocchi cooks.
- Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook 2 minutes less than package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup starchy pasta water in a separate cup - do *NOT* drain remaining pasta water.
- Once gnocchi is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer gnocchi directly to skillet with peas.
- Very slowly pour reserved ¼ cup pasta water into egg mixture while constantly whisking. Then pour egg mixture into skillet with gnocchi and stir vigorously over low to medium-low heat until cheese melts, adding 1 tablespoon additional pasta water as needed until sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add bacon back into skillet and mix. Season to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- Gnocchi: I recommend shelf-stable gnocchi as it'll add the most starch to the pasta water. This is important to emulsify (aka thicken) the sauce without cream or flour. I've tested the recipe with refrigerated gnocchi, but the sauce doesn’t turn out quite as creamy.
- Parmesan cheese: I usually use refrigerated pre-grated cheese because it's what I have on hand but for best results, freshly grate a block of cheese yourself. Do not use the type with the green plastic cap - it will not melt well.
- Substitutions:
- For a richer Gnocchi Carbonara, replace the two whole eggs with two egg yolks.
- Try Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan cheese for a more authentic carbonara sauce.
- Replace the bacon with guanciale (pork cheek) for the traditional protein choice. You should be able to locate it at a specialty Italian market. If you can’t find that, substitute it with pancetta, chicken, or even lobster.
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