French Onion Carbonara

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

4 ounces diced pancetta (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds large yellow onions (3 to 4), sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 10 cups)

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 pound dried spaghetti

1 1/2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/2 cup packed), plus more for serving

Directions

Step 1

Cook 4 ounces diced pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a plate.

Step 2

Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in the same skillet. Add 3 pounds sliced yellow onions, 5 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Uncover, stir, cover again, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Step 3

Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally at first and then more frequently once the onions start to brown, until the onions are a rich caramel brown color, 35 to 45 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed if the bottom of the pot is getting too dark. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot when stirring. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, until reduced by about half, about 30 seconds. Remove and discard the thyme stems.

Step 4

About halfway through the onion cook time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound dried spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the spaghetti.

Step 5

When the onions are ready, turn off the heat. Add the spaghetti and toss until combined.

Step 6

Whisk 4 room temperature large egg yolks and 1 1/2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese together in a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in 1/4 cup of the pasta water until well-combined.

Step 7

While tossing the pasta constantly with tongs, slowly start pouring the egg mixture into the skillet, pouring over the noodles and not the edges of the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water and toss constantly until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the pasta, about 1 minute; turn on to the lowest heat if needed. (Add more pasta water a couple tablespoons at a time as needed for a thinner sauce.) Stir in the reserved pancetta.

Step 8

Remove the skillet from the heat. Serve immediately with more grated Pecorino and a few grinds of pepper on top if desired.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 6
• Calories: 604 cal
• Total Fat: 17.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 7.4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0.0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 738.7 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 89.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.5 g
• Total Sugars: 16.5 g
• Protein: 20.3 g