Artichoke Carbonara Recipe (2024)

I love the addition of artichokes, and do it all the time. In fact, for a vegetarian version (not traditional) I skip the pork, using olive oil and just the artichokes. Most cooks in Rome do not add pasta water, however, opting for one whole egg instead. The egg white adds the necessary smoothness and keeps the 'sauce' velvety

Pasta water is not added to carbonara because you have eggs to make the sauce. I generally use an equal mix of yolks and whole eggs. I also deglaze the guanciale pan with a little white wine, letting most but not all of it evaporate, which contributes to the sauce. This step is controversial in some households.

For a complete vegetarian version replace pancetta with caramelized onions. If done right it will bring the umami note to the dish.

Trader Joe's has wonderful frozen artichoke hearts (12 oz package)

Leftovers probably won't survive well--the egg will scramble if re-heated (and should be re-heated well--raw or raw-adjacent eggs need to be treated with respect!) But a classic use of leftover carbonara is to use as the base of a frittata, which makes a fine meal on its own. 2 cups or so leftover pasta in a well greased skillet, pour over about 6-8 eggs scrambled with some cream and top with cheese. Bake 375 about 40 mins.

Absolutely delicious!!! And a wonderful idea: a tweak on a classic (not an unrecognizable "fusion" that purports to be a classic but is NOT). Ingenious idea: adding artichokes (a Roman ingredient) to a quintessential Roman dish.We devoured it and plan to make it again this weekend!!!

Canned artichokes taste of the can. If you don’t want to bother with fresh ones, both bottled and frozen ones are far superior to tinnned

By far, the most controversial step in this recipe is step 6: "slowly drizzle 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water". No no no! My beloved late nonna forbade the reuse of soiled water of any kinda for any purpose, cooking included. Unless it has been run down to the chapel at the bottom of the hill by our village's youngest to be blessed by the town priest, water shall not be reserved. Fresh water such as that from the River Tiber is the only suitable option for situations like this.

I love this dish, but much prefer it with anchovies rather than guanciale or pancetta.

Delicious with country ham and local asparagus replacing the pancetta and artichokes.

I've been doing something similar with asparagus for years. Throw it in the pasta water to cook before making the pasta. If you immediately slice it at an angle and spread it out on the cutting board, no need to shock to keep it bright green. Then toss it into the guanciale same as you would the artichokes. I like the freshness of asparagus this time of year and it adds a bit of texture (don't overcook it!) and bright green color.

Delicious. Swapped the guanciale/pancetta for andouille and did not regret it.

Made as is but I love heat so had to add some red pepper flakes and extra black pepper. Absolutely delicious pantry meal.

This was particularly good. Don't skimp on the artichokes. My husband who usually finds pasta uninspiring, declared this "something special". I did like another cook suggested and turned the leftovers into frittata crust. It seemed bland with just added eggs and cream, so I mixed in sun dried tomatoes, garlic and more artichokes. Husband and son said that was "fun". High praise around here!

love the addition of artichokes, and do it all the time. In fact, for a vegetarian version (not traditional) I skip the pork, using olive oil and just the artichokes. Most cooks in Rome do not add pasta water, however, opting for one whole egg instead. The egg white adds the necessary smoothness and keeps the 'sauce' velvety

made 1/2 an recipe for hubby and my anniversary dinner, as carbonara was one of the first things I cooked for him. I used pancetta, and 1 full egg and two yolks. cooked the artichoke hearts (full can) a bit longer than just "warming" so that they dried out a bit and had a bit more texture. did not use the pasta water but also just pulled the pasta from the cooking water versus straining. would use a bit more parm or pecorino next time but otherwise it is a keeper.

This will benefit from some garlic sauteéd along with the pancetta.

Added asparagus with artichokes and let brown. Used shallots snd anchovies re previously comments to replace pancetta since my husband doesn’t eat pork and it was great.

Do you use pasteurized eggs?

I had Trader Joe’s chopped pancetta on hand and used that, which is what I usually use for carbonara. It got lost in this version, I assume from so many yokes and no whole eggs as I usually use. Overall we found the recipe a bit dull (yes, probably was the wrong stuff), but I’d also reduce the yokes and use one or two whole eggs and a pinch of hot red peppers. Super easy, just needs some adjustments for us…..including the right cut of pork. Anyone try marinated artichokes?

The vegetarian version was a fail: way too bland and boring. Probably wonderful otherwise, but if you are trying to go the vegetarian route, beware!

Tasteless without meat. Looking for ideas to transform the leftover bucatini without adding more eggs.

Gave it a 3; there are much better recipes for carbonara . A note: make sure that pasta water is cooled off well before adding it to eggs. My eggs started to cook a bit and get scrambly Full disclosure: I used canned artichokes ( recipe allowed for them) and they added very little, if anything. If I can't find frozen next time I'll used bottled, even if they are usually briny with oil and vinegar. Though what do I mean next time? Doubt I'll re-visit.

Tastes lovely, followed by 3 days of indigestion and regret.

I’ve been adding the artichoke hearts for years. Just recently added some chopped sundried tomatoes and anchovies as well. Definitely not traditional, but delish nonetheless!

I beg to differ, but if you only use egg yolks, you'll find it extremely hard to get a creamy sauce without the addition of pasta water. Italian chefs whisk the water in with the egg yolks and never use egg white. The pasta water helps the sauce bind with the pasta.You can also make carbonara with fresh green asparagus and no meat, if you're looking for a vegetarian alternative. A combination of pecorino and parmigiano is also excellent.

I made the pancetta and artichokes 3/4 done before starting the pasta -- my no-rush approach. Did use reserved pasta water. Next time I would use maybe 1/4 more artichokes.Delicious.

I used pancetta and highly suggest OMITTING the 1 tsp of SALT in step 4. The pancetta is salty enough!

I used frozen artichokes, thawed and browned them well before proceeding. the caramelization added some depth to the finished dish.

Roasting the artichokes in the oven really enhances the flavor, 350 coated with olive oil 20 minutes on one side and 20 minutes on the other side, may seem like a lot of work but it's worth it.