Crispy Gnocchi Carbonara

This gnocchi carbonara is so delicious, and happens to be a one-pan meal! The gnocchi is cooked in the bacon drippings until it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, there’s no need to boil them. It is such a fun twist on a classic pasta dish, and sure to be a crowd-pleaser! 

It’s non-traditional, but I actually prefer bacon to pancetta when making carbonara. Bacon has lots of extra smoky flavor that really helps enhance the final flavor of the sauce. If you’re in the US, like me, bacon is also easier to find and often cheaper than pancetta. After cooking the bacon until it’s crispy, we’ll remove it from the pan and use the drippings to cook our gnocchi. This gives them extra flavor as well as an awesome crispy texture.

I love peas in my carbonara, but if you aren’t a fan they can easily be skipped. I have to add, however, that I disliked peas until I tried fresh peas for the first time. The difference between fresh peas vs frozen or canned is significant! Fresh peas are crunchy, not mushy, and will maintain that texture if they’re only lightly cooked. They add a little bit of freshness to balance out this heavy dish. If you’ve never tried fresh peas before, consider giving them a try!

Key Tips - Crispy Gnocchi Carbonara

Be VERY careful to avoid overcooking the sauce.

• Carbonara is a simple dish, but it’s very easy to accidentally overcook the sauce and end up with scrambled eggs. We need to gently heat the sauce, so it thickens, but without going too far and cooking the egg yolks.
• As described in the recipe, I recommend warming the sauce up in a few steps. First by adding the warm gnocchi and peas to the sauce, the transferring everything into the warm pan, then finally setting the pan over very low heat. During all of these steps, you should mix continuously. 

Do not pre-boil your gnocchi.

• This recipe calls for packaged gnocchi straight out of the package, you don't need to boil them before you use them! The gnocchi will cook through and become tender as they cook in the pan, so there's no need to pre-boil.

Save the egg whites for another meal.

• Some recipes say to “discard” the egg whites, but that’s such a waste! When I make this recipe, I put the egg whites in a small, airtight container and cook them for breakfast the following morning. 

Use fresh eggs & fresh peas.

• Since you will be using raw egg yolks that are only partially cooked, the quality and freshness of the eggs is very important. I typically try to buy the eggs within a day or two of when I plan on making this gnocchi carbonara.
• Fresh peas are so different from frozen or canned peas, and they make a huge difference in this recipe. I love fresh peas in my carbonara, but could take or leave frozen/canned peas. 

Do not use pre-grated Parmesan cheese.

• Carbonara is a simple dish, so it relies heavily on the quality of its core ingredients. To get a smooth and silky sauce, you need Parmesan cheese that will melt down well. For best results, grate the cheese yourself on the smallest option on your cheese grater. Store bought pre-shredded or powdered Parmesan will likely result in a worse texture for the sauce.

The cornstarch is our “pasta water”.

• Most carbonara recipes call for using some of the pasta water in the sauce. Pasta water has starch in it from the pasta, and this helps the sauce thicken. Because we are cooking our gnocchi without water, we need to mimic that pasta water with something else. A little bit of cornstarch dissolved in water will do the trick, and probably even do a better job than the pasta water would have! 

If you’re making a double batch, you may need two pans.

• The gnocchi require room in the pan in order to crisp up nicely. If you try to make a double batch of this gnocchi carbonara in one pan, it will be over-crowded, and you won’t achieve the proper results. If doubling, begin with two pans as you cook the bacon. You may be able to combine back to one pan for the final steps to thicken the sauce.

Dietary Restrictions - Crispy Gnocchi Carbonara

Make it Gluten-Free:

• Substitute the gnocchi for gluten-free gnocchi, which are available from a number of national brands. Here's one example!

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, some people would prefer to have more than one serving. I typically serve this dish as 2 large dinner portions, plated in the pictures is two servings per bowl.

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If you like this recipe, you might like my Crispy Gnocchi in Pumpkin Sauce, Dijon Penne with Kielbasa, or Pork Tenderloin Tonkotsu Ramen.

Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!