epicurious5.0
Kimchi Carbonara
Add tangy caramelized kimchi to the Italian dish of pasta with egg and guanciale for your new favorite riff on the classic pasta.
👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 40 min👤 Irene Yoo📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●pan
- ●skillet
- ●spatula
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Bring 4 quarts of water and 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt to a boil in a large pot.
. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt2 Tbsp
2
Whisk 4 large eggs, 4 oz. Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated (about 2 cups), and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper in a large heatproof bowl until smooth and consistent; set aside.
large eggs4. Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated (about 2 cups), plus more for serving4 oz. freshly ground pepper, plus cracked for serving1 tsp
3
Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Slice 8 oz. guanciale ¼” thick (about the thickness of thick-cut bacon), then into 1x½” rectangles, and add them to a large high-sided skillet along with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Spread guanciale into a single layer, set pan over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered and guanciale is deeply browned in spots, 8–⏱️ 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer guanciale to prepared plate.
. guanciale8 oz. extra-virgin olive oil1 Tbsp
4
Pour rendered fat into a heatproof bowl or heatproof measuring glass, using a spatula to scrape out pan. Return 3 Tbsp. rendered fat to skillet (discard any excess or reserve for another use), and place skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups Napa cabbage kimchi, drained and chopped into 1” pieces, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan, until moisture is evaporated and kimchi starts to caramelize around edges, 6–⏱️ 8 minutes; remove pan from heat.
Napa cabbage kimchi, drained and chopped into 1" pieces2 cups
5
Add 1 lb. spaghetti, spaghettoni, bucatini, or rigatoni to pot of boiling salted water and cook ⏱️ 1 minute less than low end of package directions. Using tongs, transfer pasta directly to skillet and return heat to medium-high. Add guanciale and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through and pasta is evenly coated with the kimchi mixture, 1–⏱️ 2 minutes.
. spaghetti, spaghettoni, bucatini, or rigatoni1 lb
6
Immediately transfer pasta to bowl with reserved egg mixture. Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid and rapidly toss everything together with a heatproof rubber spatula until pasta is well coated, cheese is dissolved, and sauce is smooth and glossy. (There should be extra sauce pooling in the bowl at first, but it should all cling to the pasta after 1–⏱️ 2 minutes of stirring. If the sauce looks too thick after ⏱️ 1 minute, add more pasta cooking liquid 1-tablespoonful at a time until smooth and creamy.)
7
Transfer pasta to a serving dish or individual bowls, sprinkle generously with more Pecorino and season with cracked pepper.
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