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.
Check out my guide on freezing fresh garlic to save some time in the kitchen.
- If you're looking for the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but the flavor of fresh garlic, freezing your own minced garlic is a great option! You'll be surprised to find that the flavor of frozen garlic is nearly as good as fresh, without the sticky prep and clean-up. Read more about it here: How to Freeze Garlic.
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.
Crispy Gnocchi Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi one standard package
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or sub more pecorino (about .75 oz, finely grated)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese or sub more parmesan (about .75 oz, finely grated)
- 4 large egg yolks save whites for another recipe
- 4 oz bacon or pancetta cut into small pieces (about 4 strips of bacon)
- ½ cup fresh peas or sub frozen peas (optional)
- ½ tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- salt
- ¼ cup warm water
Instructions
- Cook the bacon or pancetta over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pieces get crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate, leave drippings in the pan. (You should have a few tablespoons of oil left behind)
- While the bacon cooks, dissolve the corn starch in the warm water. In a large bowl, mix together the finely grated cheese and the egg yolks (save the whites for another recipe). Add the corn starch mixture and pepper and mix until everything is combined. Season with a little salt, then set aside.
- Add the gnocchi to the bacon drippings and toss them until they are coated. Cook over medium/medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi is golden and crispy on the outside, and soft in the center, about 10 minutes. (Note, you start with gnocchi straight out of the package, don't boil them first!)
- When the gnocchi is nearly ready, add the peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it's fragrant. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Allow them to cool for a moment, then transfer the gnocchi and peas into the bowl with the eggs and cheese, scraping the drippings in as well. Mix everything together.
- Transfer the mixture from the bowl back into the warm skillet, stirring as you do. We want to warm up the sauce, so it thickens, but avoid cooking the eggs yolks. The heat of the pan may be enough, but if the sauce is still thin, put the pan back over heat at the lowest setting and stir continuously until it thickens. (You may want to hold the pan above the burner for this part.)
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and add the bacon pieces back in. Serve immediately, topped with more black pepper and extra cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sunny says
My wife and I made this the other day and it was fantastic!
We wanted a little more protein so ended up cutting a chicken breast and cooking that in the bacon grease. We added some salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to the chicken and it blended very well after being cooked in the bacon grease. Since it absorbed some of the fat, we had to add a little more olive oil to help the gnocchi cook properly.
Definitely something I'd do again and I'd add the chicken again as well! Thanks for a great recipe!