5 Delicious Pancetta Alternatives For Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara is one of the simplest, most satisfying dishes you can have in your repertoire as a home cook. It's so crave-worthy that new ways to serve carbonara, from pasta variations to non-pasta dishes like carbonara-style risotto, are trying on this unforgettable flavor profile. That's because every creamy, salty, unctuously umami-laden bite is a perfect mouthful of redolently silky-smooth egg, salt-cured pork, cheese (sometimes cream), spices, and pasta. Best eaten straight away, carbonara is one of those dishes that shines with a handful of simple but perfectly paired ingredients, yielding a plate to be talked about long after the meal is gone. 

But the real beauty of carbonara is that you can also just wing it with ingredients already on hand. No Pecorino-Romano? Use parmesan. Out of spaghetti or linguini? Grab some fusilli, macaroni, or any other noodles you have lying in your cupboards. Even if there's no pancetta in your fridge, after a late night out drinking with friends or at the end of a hard day's work, there's always a decent substitute available. From the more formidable flavors of meats, like guanciale, prosciutto, and bacon, to the milder but no less satisfying tastes of a variety of hams or mushrooms, nothing can stop you from bringing the magic of carbonara's belly-warming comfort to your grumbling tummy.

While carbonara in the U.S. is often made with pancetta, classic Italian-style Carbonara is typically made with a salt-cured pork called guanciale (pancetta's more flavorful cousin). Made from the fatty jowl and cheek (or guancia) of the pig, guanicale's flavor is unmatched and not easily sourced in America — it was banned from importation in the U.S. until 2013. Now found in gourmet or Italian specialty stores, guanciale is more expensive than its more easily obtained counterparts.

Since the really good stuff is less readily available stateside, Americans usually sub in guanciale's milder-flavored cousin, pancetta. So what makes guanciale different from pancetta? The most discernible difference between the two is guanciale's deeper flavor profile, which is owed to its incredibly flavorful fat. Pancetta (which comes from the belly of the pig) is leaner than guanciale, which is heavy on the earthy, unctuous, silken fat, and light on the ribbons of lean meat, making it a bit less flavorful. This is why some recipes that use pancetta add a little cream, hoping to mimic the creamy fattiness guanciale provides effortlessly. But it's not only fat that distinguishes the two cuts, guanciale's complexity is also owed to a longer aging process and the addition of spices and herbs like pepper, rosemary, sage, and even garlic, while pancetta typically uses just salt.

We're all likely familiar with the thin and tender, salty-fragile sheets of aged Italian ham called prosciutto. It has been lining our charcuterie boards for years and showing up on things like tomato bruschetta, wrapped around earthy dates and juicy slices of fresh summer melon, and enjoyed in the spring when draped on crispy asparagus. Cut from the hind legs of the pig, prosciutto's bright pink hue and silky white edges are the perfect balance of lean meat and rich ribboned fat, pungently scented and packed with flavor. And while it tastes wonderful just as it is, it also tastes delicious when fried for a few minutes, concentrating its flavor. 

In fact, the truth about prosciutto's ultra-thin slices is that they lend themselves well to an accelerated cooking time. Making it a perfect time-saver for anyone eager to turn a couple of eggs, last night's leftover pasta, and a shaving of parmesan into a hearty but satisfying meal. The best part — if you fry it until its perfectly puffed and crisp (not burnt), you'll find that it not only makes a richly-flavored carbonara without all the heaviness of the other players on this list but it also adds a new textural dimension to the dish (crunch) that you may never want to do without again. To really take this dish next level, add a pinch of nutmeg to your eggs before mixing with the heated pasta. Once done, crumble those crispy, crunchy prosciutto pieces atop your freshly sauced noodles, followed by a generous grating of cheese. Mangia! 

While there are big mistakes that people make with carbonara, subbing in your favorite cut of salt-cured pork isn't one of them. Thick-cut bacon is an ideal sub for pancetta, and the biggest difference between the two is that lingering bacony smokiness. Since we're not looking for a perfect match to the original but rather a riff on the classic, don't be afraid to get creative. Thick-cut bacon or even a hunk of pork belly is as winning a variation as you can get. All that smoky, crispy goodness can make for a bowl of stick-to-your-ribs carbonara that's not only easy to source but so satisfyingly good, you may just find yourself turning to it a bit too often. 

To zhuzh things up even more, try a bit of fusion, pairing other complementary flavors with the headiness of smoked bacon. You could add a dash of paprika and a little cream cheese, mix in clams and a sprinkle of Old Bay, or top your carbonara with a drizzle of spicy Asian chili crisp or the crunch of a jalapeño crisp.

But what if the only pork you have in the house is ham? Iberian, smoked, or even honey-glazed, it really doesn't matter: If it's salted pork, you've got the green light. While this leaner cut of pork may be short on fat, it's still long on flavor. Just be sure to add in a little extra fat or cream during your mantecare process to make up for these leaner options and allow for just the right balance of salt, fat, and creamy emulsification that pulls the whole thing together.

Ham also gives a kind of tender-meatiness that puts a fresh slant on the deeper, more unctuous notes of carbonara, lightening the whole thing up a skosh (just be sure to dice your ham into small, uniform pieces to ensure your flavor stays consistent throughout and to keep chewing manageable). Even better is ham carbonara in the springtime, when the season's fresh bounty of vegetables allows you experiment with a hybrid carbonara-primavera take. In fact, it's one of the ways best-selling author and television chef, Ina Garten gives carbonara a fresher, lighter twist. Garten's version uses young sweet peas, crisp snow peas, and tender asparagus, and while the Barefoot Contessa uses pancetta in her recipe, if you use ham, no one will be the wiser.

If meat's not your thing, or you're just running low on pork at the ol' homestead, you should give mushrooms a whirl. Not only are they a vegetarian's dream, but the meat lovers in your life will dig 'em too. Carbonara-friendly varieties include cremini, button, portobello, porcini, oyster, and shiitake, all of which lend their signature flavors and earthy-meatiness to the dish. Whichever you choose, it's important to remember to cook them down, sweating the moisture out until they are amber-browned and chewy with a slightly crispy edge. This will help mimic pork's textural qualities and concentrate their flavor.

Herbs de Provence works well with this bunch, too, but be sure to try it in its more traditional incarnation, sans the meat. Or if you're not a vegetarian, go ahead and add a handful of mushrooms to your next batch of pork strewn carbonara to kick the whole party up a notch. Whether curled up with a bowl on your couch, feeding hungry munchkins on the weekend, or serving alongside salad and wine with friends, a good carbonara never disappoints.