It certainly won’t please any Italians, but making carbonara with orzo instead of the more usual spaghetti or rigatoni creates an unparalleled creaminess – like a risotto full of eggy, salty, porky goodness. The bain-marie method of thickening the sauce is foolproof, too – ensuring the perfect texture every time.
Discover all of our sensational orzo recipes here.
Ingredients
- 150g orzo
- 150g diced pancetta
- 1 medium free-range egg, plus one egg yolk
- 60g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- Freshly ground black pepper to serve
Method
- Bring a pan of heavily salted water to the boil. Add the orzo and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente (cooked but still with some bite).
- Meanwhile, put a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden. Set aside.
- Add the egg and egg yolk to a large heatproof bowl, then whisk in the grated parmesan. Once the orzo is cooked, reserve a mugful of the cooking water, then drain.
- Bring a small pan of water to a simmer, then put the bowl with the egg mixture on top (don’t let the water touch the bowl). Add the pancetta and all its rendered fat to the bowl, followed by the orzo and a splash of pasta water. At first the mixture will look wet, but stir continuously and the liquid will thicken into a glossy sauce, coating the orzo. Divide between bowls, then season with plenty of black pepper and a final grating of cheese.
Nutrition
- 581kcals Calories
- 39g (17g saturated) Fat
- 33g Protein
- 24g (0.7g sugars) Carbs
- 1.6g Fibre
- 3.1g Salt
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Reviews
This is a really delicious (see what I did there) evening meal. No need to add any salt as there’s loads in the pancetta and Parmesan but next time I make this I’ll add more of the pasta water to provide more sauce.
Be sparing with the amount of salt in the water for cooking the orzo. On top of the pancetta and parmesan the salt was a little overpowering. But a decent midweek meal, nonetheless.
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