Anchovy Carbonara

By Cybelle Tondu

Updated May 11, 2026

  • Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
30 min
Rating
4(131)
Comments
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A pantry-friendly riff on the classic Roman pasta, this creamy sauce combines garlic, olive oil, eggs, and Parmesan with melted anchovies in lieu of the traditional cured pork. The flavor is immensely savory and the recipe is arguably faster and more affordable than the alternative. The trick to achieving a perfectly luscious sauce lies in controlling the temperature of the pot as you mix the ingredients together—too hot and the eggs will scramble and the cheese will clump, too cold and you end up with raw eggs and unmelted cheese. After you drain the pasta, keep the pot off the heat as you build the sauce, then return it briefly to a gentle heat until it starts to come together.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Salt

  • 1 pound rigatoni

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets in oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 4 large eggs

  • ½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus more to serve

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

86 grams carbs; 208 milligrams cholesterol; 641 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 766 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of generously seasoned water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.

    1. Step 2

      While the pasta cooks, combine olive oil, anchovies with their oil and smashed garlic cloves in a small saucepan and place over low heat. As the anchovies begin to melt into the oil, stir gently to break them up. When the garlic is lightly golden all over, about 8 minutes, add ¼ cup of pasta water from the pot of boiling pasta and remove from heat. Remove and discard any large garlic pieces.

    1. Step 3

      In a small bowl, beat eggs, Parmesan and a generous pinch of ground black pepper until well combined. Set aside until the pasta is ready.

    1. Step 4

      When pasta is ready to drain, remove the pot from the heat and reserve about 1 cup of water. Drain pasta well in a colander. Return the pasta to the pot and, off heat, stir in the anchovy mixture until well coated. Add the egg and cheese mixture and continue to toss and stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated in a smooth, creamy sauce. If the sauce doesn’t thicken, return to medium heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring continuously to release steam and emulsify the mixture. Add a splash of pasta water at a time if the pasta feels dry. 

    1. Step 5

      Serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan and more black pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
131 user ratings
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Comments

kat

Attracted to this recipe because I love anchovies, it did not disappoint. The only small revisions I made were: a) to replace cloves with garlic paste and b) use spaghetti, which the sauce better coated. Rigatoni isn't a pasta suited for carbonara but rather meaty and/or chunky sauces.

PVH0use

This was delicious. There are ways to make the process more efficient and dirty fewer dishes (Eg, I used a saucier to sauté the garlic/anchovy/olive oil, then used a mesh ladle skimmer to transfer the pasta to that. And voilà - pot of pasta water ready to use when needed). Also did 3/1 Parmesan/pecorino. That said, it’s a yummy and easy week night dinner

Kimberly M.

I make this all the time in lieu of bacon. It is delicious - try it. Great for pescatarians… I’ve also used smoked sardines…

Charley

Mine turned out a lot more soupy than the picture. As others have said, don’t salt the water too much because the anchovies are salty.

wildwinowoman

It was OK. Hubby liked it more than me. We had homemade fettucine and used that; I think tubular pasta would have been better

Ladybug

I love anchovies, so decided to try this. It's quick and easy and delicious to boot! I used penne, which is what I had on hand, and it worked fine. At the table I added a bit of truffle powder along with the extra pepper. Yum!

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