Pasta Carbonara Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe

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Make this easy creamy cheesecake factory pasta carbonara recipe! Made with a rich, savory garlic parmesan sauce, crispy bacon, and sweet peas, this recipe is easy and saucy dinner any day of the week.

Love pasta recipes? Give my lobster cream pasta a try for date night; a hearty and saucy beef ragu over pappardelle on those cold winter evenings; Alfredo sauce just like I learned in culinary school; or pulled pork mac and cheese for a cookout!

a fork picking up spaghetti in a bowl of pasta carbonara

The Best Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara Copycat!

If you really like a rich sauce poured over something, Cheesecake Factory's your place to be. 

And my site, too, to be honest. We love a sauce.

When you make pasta carbonara, you have two paths: classic Italian style with plenty of

...or anger the local Italian population with a very American style, rich and creamy, ridiculous (and I say that with love!) pasta carbonara made with ample amounts of things that just don't belong in the authentic stuff: cream, garlic, vegetables, cheap, salty bacon instead of the good guanciale...it's the stuff of Carbonaragate.

overhead view of a bowl of carbonara with bacon and peas and a glass of wine

That doesn't mean that it isn't absolutely delicious, just look at the cult-like following the Cheesecake Factory has! I make this all the time whenever I'm craving a hearty bowl of pasta or am having a low energy day and need some easy-to-make comfort food. It's the best pasta dish when you are just hungry and wanting something quick and easy.

This copycat Cheesecake Factory carbonara is saucy, rich, creamy and delish. Not to mention easy AF and done in under half and hour! 

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Why You'll Love this Delicious Pasta Dish

  • Restaurant-worthy dinner in just 25 minutes!
  • A completely beginner-friendly recipe - there's no fancy techniques here! Boil some pasta, whisk up liquids in a boil, chop up some bacon and throw it in a pan. If you can do that, you can make Cheesecake Factory pasta carbonara.
  • Great base for other ingredients - mix in some leftover rotisserie chicken, add some sautéed mushrooms, this recipe is great for leftovers or as a side to other main dishes.

Americanized Carbonara, not Authentic

Real, authentic carbonara is a rich dish with an interesting origin story: it's believed to both be a spin on the Neapolitan cacio e uova, pasta tossed with eggs, cheese, and melted lard, and the idea that Americans brought in rations of bacon and powdered egg during World War 2.

The 'official' Roman way to make it is with pancetta, which is salt-cured pork belly, or guanciale, which is a super fatty cured cut from the pig's cheek and jowls.

The carbonara sauce is made with fresh raw eggs, cheeses like parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, the rendered fat from the pork, and reserved cooking water from the pasta. Whisked all together and tossed with pasta for a perfectly creamy dish.

carbonara with bacon and peas served in a pasta bowl

This takes us to the pasta carbonara at Cheesecake Factory; it's more like an alfredo sauce with bacon and peas. Easy to make consistently, and without raw eggs you lower the risk of sickness when it's mass produced, while still getting richness and creaminess from their garlic-parmesan cream sauce.

My recipe has eggs, though. It's not carbonara without them.

Equipment Needed

Ingredients

ingredients for pasta carbonara from the cheesecake factory
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese - use a real wedge of parmesan, please. The stuff in the green can is coated in cellulose and you won't be able to melt it into the sauce.
  • Spaghetti Pasta - you can also use other pasta like bucatini or angel hair.
  • Frozen Green Peas
  • Thick Cut Bacon - this is give you the most rendered fat and the most meat than a thinner cut. Try to go for the uncured, nitrate-free kind so there's not as much salt.
  • Shallots and Garlic - shallots are a bit like small onions with a lighter flavor. You could swap in half of a small yellow onion instead.
  • Heavy Cream
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper

How to Make Pasta Carbonara like the Cheesecake Factory

bacon being fried in a pan

Step 1 | Cook bacon - Cook the bacon over medium heat to render the fat. Because they're chopped up into bite-sized pieces, they'll cook faster than full strips. While that's going, cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of water.

bacon and shallots sizzle in a large pan

Step 2 | Add shallots - As the bacon is rendering and crisping up, add the shallots to the pan. We want to do this just around the end of the bacon's cook time, the shallots only need a few minutes to soften and get a little color. 

bacon, peas, and shallots and garlic in a pan

Step 3 | Add frozen peas and minced garlic - Reduce heat to medium low and let these two gently cook with the bacon in the pan. Let it cook for just 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. 

cream, eggs, and parmesan cheese whisked in a bowl

Step 4 | Whisk together the parmesan cream sauce in a large bowl.

a homemade version of cheesecake factory's pasta carbonara in a pan

Step 5 | Once the pasta is al dente - Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, then pour in the cheese, egg, and cream mixture. Toss it all together with tongs to really mix the fat and sauce together and coat the pasta. Taste as season with salt and black pepper as needed.

overhead view of a bowl of pasta

Step 6 | Serve the carbonara with extra parmesan on top!

Variations and Substitutions

  • Chicken Carbonara - add rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breast and toss it right into the pasta sauce, it makes an easy and filling meal.
  • Change up the flavors - add red pepper for some spice or squeeze in some mellow roasted garlic for a cozy depth of flavor!
  • Add in lemon juice and zest to cut through the richness of the pasta sauce.
  • Fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or basil work wonderfully in this recipe as well.
  • Too much bacon fat in the pan? Sop it up with a paper towel and tongs, but leave at least a tablespoon or two.
  • Leave the peas out if you want to!

What to Serve with Pasta Carbonara

close up of a twirl of pasta covered in peas, bacon, and parmesan cream sauce

Storage and Reheating

Carbonara is best eaten fresh but if you have leftovers, the eggs in the sauce do not reheat well in the microwave.

So splash some cream into the leftovers and reheat in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring to warm up the leftover carbonara.

FAQs 

Is pasta carbonara safe?

The hot pasta helps cook the eggs as you toss the pasta in the egg and cheese sauce, which melts the cheese and thickens up the sauce.

I 100% suggest using fresh eggs (eggs that you bought this week from the grocer, I mean. You don't have to own a farm.) so that you have peace of mind. The fresher the egg, the less likely for bacteria.

What’s the difference between carbonara and alfredo?

The main differences is that carbonara is a pasta dish with pork and eggs, while Alfredo in Italy is made with butter and parmesan cheese, and the American version with cream and garlic added.

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📖 Recipe

carbonara with bacon and peas served in a pasta bowl

Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara Copycat

Eden Westbrook
Try my Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara copycat recipe for a creamy pasta with crisp bacon, tender peas, and garlic parmesan sauce!
4.70 from 56 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 660 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz spaghetti pasta
  • 1 cup thick cut bacon cut into bite-sized pieces (about 5-6 slices of bacon)
  • 2 shallots small diced
  • ½ cup frozen green peas
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 2-3 eggs
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions
 

  • Boil a large pot of water with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the pasta to the pot once you are in the middle of cooking your bacon to make sure they are ready by time the bacon is cooked.
  • In a large pan over medium heat, add your diced bacon. As the fat renders, add your shallots to cook in the bacon fat until the shallots become soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes, and bacon is done to your liking. Turn heat to low and add the frozen peas garlic, stirring to ensure it doesn't burn. Turn off the heat.
  • While bacon cooks, whisk together the heavy cream, grated parmesan cheese, and fresh eggs in a mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
  • When pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and put it all into the pan. Then pour in the parmesan cream sauce mixture and toss together well, making sure that the sauce coats all the pasta and the cheese melts into the sauce. Taste, then season to your liking with salt and pepper.
  • Serve your pasta carbonara immediately while still hot. Garnish with more parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Carbonara is best eaten fresh but if you have leftovers, the eggs in the sauce do not reheat well in the microwave.
So splash some cream into the leftovers and reheat in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring to warm up the leftover carbonara.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 660kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 36gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 245mgSodium: 1427mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5g
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14 Comments

  1. I disagree you can get luscious cream with just the egg yolks and pecorino. You made pasta with zabaglione

    1. Eden Westbrook says:

      You’ll notice in the post that I have an authentic carbonara recipe, which is talked about in post and tagged in post. This is an Americanized version, which is also stated in post.

  2. Oh my gosh...this was the best carbonara I think I have had! Used bucatini pasta, had prosciutto instead of pancetta so I sautéed it in a little bit of bacon fat. Did not use the shallots (my preference). Only problem I had was it got pretty sticky before I served it. Added some pasta water but still got sticky. Ended up putting a couple of tablespoons of warm cream in the dish after plating. But this was quick, very rich, and absolutely delicious!

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  5. Chichi uguru says:

    This looks so inviting, I want to dig in. I love the creamy authentic or not. This is it ?

    1. Same! It's just so good!

  6. This Carbonara Pasta looks so good! I could imagine how flavorful it is!

  7. Luci's Morsels says:

    Ooh my goodness. I've been craving pasta recently and this looks AMAZING!! And I think it's so funny how passionate people get about recipes. I'm that way with chocolate chip cookies though, so I can't totally hate the hate! 😀

    1. Me too, I get the same way about sweet potato pie, but I never say this is authentic! haha!

  8. Yumm! I love ordering pasta carbonara at restaurants so I can't wait to try making this at home! You make it look so simple. Great recipe!

    1. It’s super simple! So easy that it’s my go to recipe whenever we have unexpected guests lol. Thanks!

  9. Claire Cary says:

    You had me at pasta! This recipe looks so delicious, and simple!