This super simple Shrimp Carbonara recipe will become your new go-to pasta recipe for busy nights!
Using only familiar ingredients you already have on hand, you can whip up this impressive restaurant-quality shrimp recipe you'd expect from an Italian trattoria!
Elegant and decadently delicious Shrimp Carbonara is an incredibly easy pasta recipe. Made with creamy egg yolks, crispy bacon, and Parmesan cheese, this dinner is ready to be served in under 30 minutes.
It's one of those dishes that, once you've made it, you'll want to make it again and again.
What You'll Need
SHRIMP - Look for fresh or frozen deveined white shrimp.
PASTA - Spaghetti or linguine are both perfect for Shrimp Carbonara.
EGGS - Two eggs plus one egg yolk. The eggs make the sauce rich and creamy.
BACON - You can also use pancetta or guanciale (bacon from pork cheeks) in carbonara sauces, but regular bacon works perfectly fine. And you don't need to make an extra trip to the store for specialty bacon. We typically have a slab of thick-cut strips of bacon in the fridge, which works great.
CHEESE - Both Pecorino Romano and Parmesan work well. I use whichever one we have in the fridge. Pecorino is a bit saltier, if I use it, I'll tend to reduce the added salt.
WATER - Don't skip adding a cup of reserved pasta water. It'll make your sauce creamy.
To Make Shrimp Carbonara
- Cook the pasta drain, and reserve one cup of pasta water.
- Whisk 2 eggs plus additional yolk in a mixing bowl. Add grated cheese and parsley.
- Cook bacon and garlic separately as per recipe and set aside. Cook shrimp in the same skillet. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to low and toss the pasta in the skillet. Turn off the heat and add egg-cheese mixture and reserved pasta water.
- Toss for 2-3 minutes before adding garlic and bacon. Top with shrimp.
Favorite Easy Comfort Recipes
CHICKEN STROGANOFF - Creamy mushroom chicken dinner.
CHICKEN PARMESAN - Easy, cheesy, and delicious.
LASAGNA ROLL-UPS - Traditional lasagna with an easy but elegant spin!
BEEF STROGANOFF - Easy version of a restaurant classic.
CHICKEN PAPRIKA - Creamy and flavorful chicken dinner.
Shrimp Carbonara
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti pasta
Sauce
Shrimp
- 12 ounces shrimp
Instructions
Prep
- Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Combine 2 whole eggs plus a third egg yolk in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add parmesan cheese, chopped parsley. Set aside.
Making The Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add bacon and cook on medium-high for 6-8 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon and remove the bacon and transfer to a plate. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.
- Add minced garlic into the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes in the bacon fat. Use a slotted spoon to remove garlic and add to the bacon.
- Sauté shrimp in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add cooked pasta and toss in the bacon fat/olive oil mixture. Turn off heat.
- Pour in egg-cheese mixture and one cup of hot pasta water. Toss the pasta for about 2-3 minutes. Don't skip this step. It makes the pasta very creamy.
- Add garlic and bacon to the pasta and combine well. Season with salt and pepper. Top the pasta with the sauteéd shrimp. Serve immediately.
Amy
This was pretty simple and tastes amazing! Glad I chose this one it definitely did not disappoint!
Maike
Oh, yay! I'm so glad you enjoy it. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Glenda V.
This Shrimp Carbona Pasta is to die for! It is simple to make but it is super flavorful. My whole family loved it. Highly recommended
Debbie
Use more garlic