Gnocchi Carbonara

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 424

Author Jessica Kwon

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

Nutrition