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overhead shot of gnocchi carbonara on white plate
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Gnocchi Carbonara

This rich and creamy carbonara recipe is made with homemade pillowy gnocchi and tossed in an easy carbonara sauce with pancetta.
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 495kcal
Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

  • 1 lb russet potatoes
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ lb diced pancetta
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
  • ½ cup reserved pasta water

Instructions

  • Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and peel the potatoes. Then pass through a potato ricer.
  • Mix the flour and salt together then place on a clean/flat surface and make a well in the middle. Add the potatoes and egg, mixing together with your fingers to form a soft dough. It shouldn't stick to your fingers.
  • Add some more flour to the surface. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch the dough until it forms a long skinny rope, about 1" thick. Cut about 1" wide gnocchi and then transfer to a baking sheet, making sure each gnocchi is covered in flour so they don't stick to each other.
  • In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until it is crisp. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and save any of the fat for the gnocchi.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs until there are no lumps and then add the cheese. Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float, which should be about 3-4 minutes. Drain and reserve about ¼ cup pasta water.
  • With the same non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the gnocchi in a single layer. Cook for about 3 minutes until golden brown on bottom. Turn gnocchi and cook for an additional 3 minutes until golden brown.
  • Add ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the egg mixture and mix to combine.
  • Working quickly, add the gnocchi to the bowl with the egg mixture, and gently toss. Add remaining pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Stir in pancetta and garlic and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Add just enough flour. Let me be clear. While most times, you need 1 cup of flour for this recipe, there are times you need slightly more or slightly less. Use your hands to mix in the flour until just incorporated and where the dough forms a loaf. It should be a soft dough.
  • Don’t overmix. Just like anything with flour, if your overmix or knead too much, you’ll get a tougher gnocchi. It won’t be soft and pillowy. You want to mix until it just comes together.
  • Don’t make them perfect. Gnocchi doesn’t have to be perfect shapes or have ridges. Mine never look exactly the same but they taste great! Also you can skip the ridges. It’s time consuming and not worth the effort.
  • Sprinkle with flour when cutting and transporting. Gnocchi can get sticky if there isn’t flour sprinkled on it. As I’m rolling out the dough to cut and then cut into gnocchi and then transfer to a sheet, I sprinkle with flour to make sure it doesn’t stick. Learn from me as I didn’t do this in the past.
  • Boil until they float. When cooking gnocchi, boil it until they float and then remove and add to a sauce.
  • Don't use pre-shredded cheese. You want if finely grated so it melts well. Pre-shredded has added ingredients that will just make it clump up.
    Add hot gnocchi immediately. You need to stir the hot gnocchi immediately into the egg mixture to help cook them. If they still aren't completely creamy, add back to the pot, but don't put it over heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g