Pasta carbonara is pretty impossible to improve, but it can get a tiny bit more fun. TikTok has once again altered a food we hold dear, and as usual, I was suspicious at first. Then I realized that’s my favorite type of food experiment anyway, so why not? Have fun with your lunch today and make this perverted ramen carbonara.
What is pasta carbonara?
Traditional pasta carbonara is loved for its creamy, cheesy sauce made with raw eggs. The eggs don’t stay raw: they very gently cook over low heat as they mingle with the hot Italian pasta. The sauce is like a savory cheese-custard glaze that lightly coats every noodle. Add hunks of crispy, salty pancetta and you begin to get the distinct feeling that you deserve only good things in life from here on out.
How to make TikTok ramen carbonara
I stumbled upon this TikTok video from Reidsactivekitchen, and the concept is simple: make carbonara pasta but replace Italian pasta with ramen noodles. It’s a simple switch and a safe bet. A single whole egg and an egg yolk are whisked, raw, with a healthy heap of parmesan cheese and black pepper. In the video, the ramen noodles are added to a pan of crisped bacon and the raw-egg-and-cheese mixture is poured in too. They stir everything around in the pan but it’s unclear whether the heat is on or not. Presumably there is some heat (maybe residual from cooking the bacon) because the sauce thickens up but doesn’t overcook and become chunky.
All told, this is a fun take on pasta carbonara. The ramen noodles bring their firm and springy texture, while the carbonara sauce is luscious and thick, delivering plenty of parmesan flavor. It’s mild, creamy, and filling.
My only question is: what about the seasoning packet? Every plastic wrapped parcel of dry, instant ramen noodles comes with a pouch of concentrated, sodium-boosted flavor powder. Relationships have been ripped apart, families torn asunder over the question of whether you use half a packet, a whole pack, or double the seasoning packet. It’s never no packet. If you’re combining these two classics in the first place, take off the training wheels and go all the way.
Now make your ramen carbonara even better
1. Make the sauce
I like to cook my carbonara sauce gently in a quick double boiler situation over my pot of simmering noodles, like A.A. Newton instructs in this post. This way I can control how cooked my eggs get so I don’t accidentally end up with an undercooked, snotty egg sauce at the finish line. (You can’t control residual heat, so why rely on it?)
This small amount of sauce took about 90 seconds to melt the cheese and thicken properly. By the time my sauce was done, my ramen noodles still had a minute or so to finish cooking.
2. Toss everything together with the seasoning packet
I had already crisped some bacon up in a frying pan and added peas (because peas rule). I added the cooked ramen noodles to the bowl of carbonara sauce, followed shortly by the bacon and peas. Then I sprinkled my packet of spicy Shin Ramyun seasoning over the ingredients and tossed everything together. It dissolved easily into the thick sauce, tinging it a deep orange, which I’ll call warning-orange.
It was spicy, salty, and bold. The sauce was singing songs of umami, and tasted silky from the custardy eggs. The parmesan cheese added that fabulous creamy element that reminded me of when everyone (including us) was melting brie into their Shin Ramyun.
This ramen carbonara is a powerhouse, and I think you’ll like it. You can use any brand of instant ramen noodle you like. If you’re unsure how much of the seasoning packet to use, start with half and taste it. You can always sprinkle more onto the finished dish and mix it in to dissolve. If it gets too stiff just add a tablespoon of the leftover hot pasta water, or any hot water, really.
The Best Ramen Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pack instant ramen noodles
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
⅓ cup parmesan, shredded
Heavy crack of black pepper
2 strips of bacon, chopped into bits
¼ cup frozen peas
1. Bring two cups of water up to a boil in a small pot. This will be for cooking the noodles and creating a double boiler for the sauce.
2. In a frying pan, add the chopped bacon and fry it until it’s cooked to your liking. In the last couple minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas to warm them up. Turn off the heat.
3. Whisk the egg, yolk, parmesan, and black pepper together in a medium metal or heat-resistant glass bowl.
4. Place the dry instant noodles in the boiling water to cook. While they’re cooking, put the bowl of eggs and cheese right on top of the pot. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl, but the steam will collect under the bowl, heating it up gently. Whisk the egg mixture quickly and consistently over the pot. The cheese will begin to melt and the mixture will thicken, but it shouldn’t curdle or get gloppy. This only takes 1 to 2 minutes. Take the bowl off the heat and flip the noodles to ensure they cook completely.
5. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the noodles out of the pot and into the bowl of sauce. Stir in the bacon and peas, along with a teaspoon or so of the fat. Sprinkle the seasoning packet over the top (or use half the packet if you prefer), and toss everything together. Add some of the hot pasta water to loosen up the dish if it gets too thick. Enjoy while warm.