Orzo carbonara

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.

Orzo carbonara

Discover all of our sensational orzo recipes here.

  • Serves icon Serves 2
  • Time icon Hands-on time 20 min

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.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
581kcals
Fat
39g (17g saturated)
Protein
33g
Carbohydrates
24g (0.7g sugars)
Fibre
1.6g
Salt
3.1g

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
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
581kcals
Fat
39g (17g saturated)
Protein
33g
Carbohydrates
24g (0.7g sugars)
Fibre
1.6g
Salt
3.1g

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Read what others say...

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Carbonaras

Spaghetti carbonara

Classic spaghetti carbonara is the ultimate in comfort food. Quick,...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

15-minute meals

‘Carbonara’ scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs are usually the last thing you want when...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Budget pasta

Leek, lemon and white bean orzo

Full of goodness with leek and white bean, the vegetarian...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.