Cheesecake Factory pasta carbonara, made at home, is spaghetti tossed with crisp thick-cut bacon, soft shallots, garlic and sweet green peas in a silky sauce of eggs, heavy cream and Parmesan. It is rich, smoky and creamy, and it comes together in about 15 minutes, in the time it takes to boil the pasta. This is a copycat in the style of the restaurant dish. The restaurant does not publish its recipe, so think of it as a creamy bacon and pea carbonara inspired by the menu.
How to make Cheesecake Factory pasta carbonara: Boil 12 ounces of spaghetti until al dente. Cook 1 cup of chopped bacon with 2 diced shallots, then stir in 1/2 cup of frozen peas and 3 cloves of garlic over low heat. Whisk 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2/3 cup of Parmesan and 2 to 3 eggs. Toss the hot pasta with the bacon and the egg mixture until creamy, and heat the sauce to 160°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fast. The sauce is whisked while the bacon cooks.
- Creamy without a roux. Eggs, cream and cheese do the thickening.
- Smoky and sweet. Bacon and peas in every forkful.
- Simple ingredients. Pasta, bacon, eggs, cream and cheese.
- Restaurant comfort at home. For a fraction of the price.
Ingredient Notes
Spaghetti. Twelve ounces.
Bacon. One cup of thick-cut bacon cut into bite-size pieces, which is about 5 to 6 slices.
Shallots. Two small ones, diced. They are milder and sweeter than onion.
Green peas. A 1/2 cup, frozen. They go in straight from the freezer.
Garlic. Three cloves, minced.
Heavy cream. A 1/2 cup.
Parmesan cheese. Two-thirds of a cup, freshly grated, with more for the table.
Eggs. Two to 3. Three makes a richer, thicker sauce.
Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste, plus about 1 teaspoon of salt for the pasta water.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 cup thick-cut bacon, cut into bite-size pieces (about 5 to 6 slices)
- 2 small shallots, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 to 3 eggs
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
How to Make Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara
1. Start the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the spaghetti partway through cooking the bacon, so the pasta and the skillet are ready at about the same time. Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
2. Cook the bacon and vegetables. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. As its fat renders, add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, and the bacon is done to your liking. Turn the heat to low, add the frozen peas and garlic, and stir so the garlic does not burn. Turn off the heat.
3. Whisk the sauce. While the bacon cooks, whisk the heavy cream, Parmesan and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
4. Coat the pasta. Drain the spaghetti and put it in the skillet. Add the egg and cream mixture and toss until it coats the pasta and the cheese melts.
5. Check the eggs and serve. Before serving, check the sauce with a food thermometer. If it has not reached 160°F, keep cooking and tossing it in the skillet over low heat until it does. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with more Parmesan if you like.
Is Hot Pasta Enough to Cook the Eggs?
Do not count on it. Classic carbonara directions say to toss raw egg sauce with hot pasta off the heat and trust the warmth of the noodles to do the cooking. Sometimes that is enough. Often it is not, especially when the pasta has cooled a little in the colander or the skillet was turned off some time ago.
Eggs are safely cooked at 160°F. The only way to know the sauce has reached that point is to measure it.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Toss | Add the egg mixture to the hot pasta and stir quickly, so the sauce coats every strand |
| Measure | Push a thermometer into the middle of the pasta, where the sauce pools |
| If it is under 160°F | Turn the burner to low and keep tossing. Check again after a short time |
| At 160°F | Take the pan off the heat right away and serve |
The reason carbonara has a tricky reputation is that eggs go from silky to scrambled quickly. Low heat and constant movement are what keep the sauce smooth while it comes up to temperature. The cream in this recipe helps as well. It makes the sauce more forgiving than one made with eggs and cheese alone.
If the sauce gets too thick
Save a cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pot. A splash stirred in at the end loosens a sauce that has tightened up, and it is an optional trick, not a required ingredient.
Tips for Success
When should the pasta go in?
About halfway through cooking the bacon. The idea is for the spaghetti to come out of the water just as the skillet is ready, so it goes in hot.
Should I drain the bacon fat?
The recipe cooks the shallots in the rendered fat. If your bacon gives off a great deal, spoon some out and leave a couple of tablespoons for flavor.
Why add the garlic on low heat?
Garlic burns in seconds in hot bacon fat and turns bitter. Low heat softens it gently.
Two eggs or three?
Two makes a lighter sauce. Three makes it richer and thicker.
Should I grate my own Parmesan?
Yes. Freshly grated cheese melts into the sauce. The powdery kind in a can stays gritty.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers, and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently to 165°F, with a splash of milk or water to bring the sauce back. Cream sauces can separate when frozen, so this pasta is best eaten fresh.
What to Serve With It
A green salad and warm bread are all this needs. For more pasta dinners, try the chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake, the Philly cheesesteak pasta or the garlic broccoli pasta with olive oil. For the slow cooker, there is the slow cooker Amish bacon chicken pasta and the slow cooker cream of chicken ham pasta. And for a cold dish, make a bowl of pasta salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the copycat use peas and a creamy sauce?
Yes. It has bacon, green peas and a sauce of eggs, heavy cream and Parmesan.
Will hot pasta alone cook the egg sauce to 160°F?
Not reliably. Check with a thermometer, and warm the pan over low heat if the sauce is not there yet.
Are the restaurant’s exact ingredients known?
No. The restaurant does not publish its recipe, so this is a home copycat.
Can I use another pasta?
Spaghetti is used here. Other long pasta, such as linguine or fettuccine, will hold the sauce in the same way.
Final Notes
I whisk the eggs, cream and cheese before anything goes on the stove, because the last two minutes of this dish move fast. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara Copycat
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 cup bacon thick-cut, cut into bite-sized pieces; about 5 to 6 slices
- 2 shallots small, diced
- 1/2 cup green peas frozen
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated; more for serving, if desired
- 2 to 3 eggs
- kosher salt to taste; plus about 1 teaspoon for the pasta water
- black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the spaghetti partway through cooking the bacon, so the pasta and the skillet are ready at about the same time. Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. As its fat renders, add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, and the bacon is done to your liking. Turn the heat to low, add the frozen peas and garlic, and stir so the garlic does not burn. Turn off the heat.
- While the bacon cooks, whisk the heavy cream, Parmesan and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
- Drain the spaghetti and put it in the skillet. Add the egg and cream mixture and toss until it coats the pasta and the cheese melts.
- Before serving, check the sauce with a food thermometer. If it has not reached 160°F, keep cooking and tossing it in the skillet over low heat until it does. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with more Parmesan if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
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