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Pumpkin Carbonara

Pumpkin carbonara is a creamy Italian-American pasta made with pancetta and a silky pumpkin-egg sauce. Toss hot spaghetti with residual heat so the eggs thicken into a smooth coating without scrambling.
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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: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta and salt
  • 1 lb spaghetti or rigatoni
  • 0.1 Salt to taste Use for the pasta water.
Pancetta base
  • 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 3 garlic, minced
Pumpkin-egg sauce
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup parmesan, finely grated (plus more for serving)
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp black pepper (generous)
Sauce adjustment
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add enough salt to make it taste very well seasoned, then cook the spaghetti or rigatoni until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before draining, then set aside.
Crisp the pancetta and bloom garlic
  1. Add the pancetta or thick-cut bacon to a large skillet and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute, then remove the skillet from the heat.
Make the pumpkin-egg mixture
  1. Whisk the egg yolks, pumpkin puree, parmesan, nutmeg, and black pepper in a bowl until smooth. Keep it ready for immediate tossing.
Toss into a silky carbonara
  1. Add the hot pasta to the pancetta pan and immediately remove from heat completely. Quickly add the egg mixture, tossing constantly so the residual heat cooks the eggs without scrambling them.
  2. Splash in pasta cooking water a little at a time while tossing until a silky sauce forms that coats the pasta. If it looks tight, add another small splash and toss again.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately with extra parmesan and black pepper on top. Make sure the sauce is glossy before portioning.

Notes

Pro tip: pull the pan completely off the heat before adding the egg mixture, then toss fast—residual warmth will thicken the sauce without scrambling. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; the sauce will thicken further, so reheat gently with a splash of pasta water. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. Dietary swap: use a vegetarian “bacon” or smoked tempeh in place of pancetta for a meat-free version, keeping the same method.