Sausage carbonara is a quick and creamy pasta made with Italian sausage, eggs, and Parmesan cheese for a rich, silky sauce. Tossed with pappardelle and finished with fresh parsley, this easy recipe delivers bold flavor in under 30 minutes.
Can't recommend this recipe highly enough! It was so easy to throw together and the whole family devoured it. We will definitely be making it again at our house.
- Erica S.
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Bailey's Thoughts ...
Cruz has a birthday dinner request. He has made it every year since he was old enough to understand that dinner could be customized. Which, unfortunately for me, was very early.
He calls it bucatini.
It is not bucatini. It has never been bucatini. It is sausage carbonara. Completely unrelated to actual bucatini. I have explained this. I have shown him pictures. At one point I considered making actual bucatini just to prove a point, and then I thought about who I would be proving it to.
So now I make “bucatini.”
I boil the pasta. Brown the sausage. Stir together the sauce while the bagged caesar goes in a bowl and the deli garlic bread heats in the oven.
Twenty minutes later, birthday dinner is on the table.
And every single year, everyone acts like I have performed some extraordinary act of love.
-Bailey
P.S. If this pasta speaks your love language, you should absolutely try my Lemon Garlic Pasta with Chicken Sausage. It's bright, garlicky, and just as easy, but with a citrus twist.
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Why you should make this
This is also the dinner I make when I have twenty minutes and nothing planned. Which, if I’m being honest, describes most Tuesdays. Sometimes Mondays. Occasionally Thursdays if soccer season is particularly humbling.
His birthday dinner is my emergency dinner. I find this very convenient.
Six ingredients. One pan. The sausage does all the flavor work so nothing else has to.
The only thing that might throw you is the eggs.
You are pouring raw eggs onto hot pasta, which admittedly feels like poor planning. It is not. The heat from the pasta cooks them on contact. Not scrambled, not raw. Silky.
It all happens in about 30 seconds.
Ingredients
Pappardelle Noodles: Wide ribbons of pasta that cook quickly and hold onto the sauce. Substitution: Use spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine if that's what you have.
Olive Oil: Helps brown the sausage and keeps things from sticking. Substitution: Any neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil works.
Ground Italian Sausage: Adds rich, savory flavor and a little spice depending on the variety. Substitution: Use ground pork, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage in the same amount.
Parmesan Cheese: Creates the creamy, cheesy sauce when mixed with eggs. Substitution: Pecorino Romano can be used in equal amounts.
Eggs: The base of the silky carbonara sauce. Substitution: No true sub, eggs are essential here.
Fresh Parsley: Adds color and a fresh finish. Substitution: Swap in fresh basil or vhices for a similar pop and freshness.
See recipe for quantities
Instructions
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water.
Step 2: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and sausage. Brown sausage and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and parmesan until smooth.
Step 4: Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat in the sausage fat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of reserved pasta water.
Step 5: Pour the egg/parmesan mixture onto the sausage and noodles. Toss to coat. Use reserved pasta water as needed to thin sauce.
Step 6: Garnish with parsley. Toss once more and serve immediately.
Top Tip
The reserved pasta water is an important part of this recipe. It helps loosen the sauce and makes it silky. If you forget to save it, don't panic! Mix ¼ teaspoon cornstarch with 1 cup of water, then microwave it for about a minute (or until hot) to create a replacement for the pasta water.
Variations
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta in place of pappardelle.
Nut-Free: Already is!
Kid-Friendly: Use a mild Italian sausage instead of spicy, and skip the fresh parsely garnish if kids prefer simpler flavors.
Higher Protein: Swap pappardelle for chickpea or lentil-based pasta, or stir in ½ cup cottage cheese to the sauce.
Make-Ahead: Cook the sausage in advance and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat before assembling with freshly cooked pasta and sauce.
Spicy: Use spicy Italian sausage and add a pinch of red pepper flakes when browning the meat.
Lighter: Swap in ground chicken sausage for a leaner take on the dish without losing flavor.
Storage
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Not recommended. The egg-based sauce can separate and turn grainy once thawed.
Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of reserved pasta water (or regular water) to loosen the sauce. Avoid high heat, as it can cause the eggs to scramble.
Equipment
The pot and skillet pictured in this recipe are the 4.5 quart sauté pan and 6.5 quart dutch oven from Caraway. Both sizes are perfect for this recipe, but any brand offering a similar size pot/pan will work.
FAQ
The sauce should be creamy and glossy, not runny or clumpy. If it's too thick, stir in a little reserved pasta water to loosen it. If it's too thin, add more parmesan cheese to thicken.
Always remove the pan from the heat before adding the egg and cheese mixture. Direct heat will scramble the eggs. If the sauce starts to look curdled, quickly stir in a splash of reserved pasta water to smooth it out.
Not at all. Carbonara is one of the simplest pasta recipes you can make. It uses only a handful of ingredients and comes together in about 20 minutes.
Yes. The eggs are gently cooked by the heat of the pasta, creating a safe, silky sauce. For extra peace of mind, you can use pasteurized eggs.
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Recipe
20-Minute Sausage Carbonara
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sausage carbonara is a quick and creamy pasta made with Italian sausage, eggs, and Parmesan cheese for a rich, silky sauce. Tossed with pappardelle and finished with fresh parsley, this easy recipe delivers bold flavor in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 oz pappardelle noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook pappardelle noodles (8 oz) according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve ½ cup pasta water.
- Brown the sausage: Heat olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground Italian sausage (1 pound) and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spatula as it cooks. Season with salt (½ teaspoon) and black pepper (½ teaspoon).
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together eggs (3 large) until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese (⅓ cup).
- Combine everything: Add the drained pappardelle noodles to the skillet and toss to coat in the sausage fat. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in a splash of reserved pasta water.
- Finish the carbonara: Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the pasta and toss quickly until the sauce becomes silky and coats the noodles. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley (¼ cup) and serve immediately.
Notes
Remove from heat before adding eggs: Always take the skillet off the heat before stirring in the egg and cheese mixture. Direct heat will scramble the eggs instead of creating a silky sauce.
Use reserved pasta water: This is essential for loosening the sauce and helping it cling to the noodles. Add a tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. If you accidentally throw the pasta water away, you can make a quick replacement by mixing ¼ teaspoon cornstarch with 1 cup of water and microwaving until hot.
Serve immediately: Carbonara doesn’t hold well once made. The texture of the sauce is best right after tossing.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the egg-based sauce separates when thawed.
Make-Ahead: You can brown the sausage up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate. When ready to serve, cook the pasta fresh and finish the recipe with the sausage and sauce.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 533.4 mg
- Fat: 22.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.4 g
- Protein: 18.8 g
- Cholesterol: 165.8 mg
Dawn Conklin
This looks so delicious 🙂 I too have days where my blog calendar and what is actually happening don't match up - it happens quite often here haha! It happens more in the summer when the kids are home and the dog wants to get out and go places (ok we want to get out and take him places!) Can't wait to try this for dinner.
Bailey Sissom
Hey Dawn! I hope you love the Carbonara as much as us! I totally hear you about the Summer struggles. Mine have been back to school for a couple weeks now and I can't believe how much more constant I have been with blogging!
Erica S.
Can't recommend this recipe highly enough! It was so easy to throw together and the whole family devoured it. We will definitely be making it again at our house.
James
A family Favorite