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Tortellini Carbonara

Tortellini carbonara with a silky egg-and-parmesan sauce and crispy pancetta. Plump cheese tortellini are tossed off heat so the sauce turns creamy without scrambling, finished with black pepper.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 850
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tortellini Carbonara
  • 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
  • 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1.25 cup parmesan, finely grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 lots of freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 fresh parsley for serving
  • 1 salt to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the tortellini
  1. Bring well-salted water to a boil in a Dutch oven, then cook the refrigerated cheese tortellini until tender, about 7–10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set the tortellini aside.
Cook the pancetta and garlic
  1. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta until crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat.
Mix the egg-and-parmesan sauce
  1. In a bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, finely grated parmesan, nutmeg, and generous black pepper until smooth and uniform.
Combine and make it creamy
  1. Add the hot tortellini to the pancetta pan off the heat, then quickly pour in the egg mixture. Toss vigorously immediately to coat.
Adjust consistency and finish
  1. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time while tossing until silky and creamy, 30–60 seconds. Season with salt to taste, then top with fresh parsley and extra parmesan plus more black pepper.

Notes

For a smooth, non-scrambled sauce, keep the skillet off the heat when adding the egg mixture and toss fast as the cheese and eggs thicken. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of pasta water. Freezing is not recommended because the egg sauce can break. Swap pancetta with diced turkey bacon for a lighter option while keeping the crispy finish.