There is something irresistible about a comforting bowl of pasta, especially when it comes together with such simple, flavorful ingredients. This Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno alla Carbonara is creamy, savory, and wonderfully satisfying, making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or a relaxed meal with friends.

If you love Italian pasta dishes, you will enjoy my Cacio e Pepe Bucatini or this delicious twist on another favorite, Linguine alla Carbonara with Mushrooms.

fettuccine paglia e fieno alla carbanara

Recipe Overview: Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno Alla Carbonara

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Bake Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Servings: 4 people
  • Cook Method: Boil pasta and create sauce in skillet.
  • Flavor & Texture: Creamy and flavorful
  • Difficulty: Easy.
  • Why this Recipe? This recipe is a colorful twist on classic carbonara, combining tender fettuccine, a silky egg and cheese sauce, and savory pancetta in every bite.
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Fettuccine is one of our favorite pasta. Wider than your typical spaghetti, but time ten in flavor. Fresh or dry, they are always a treat.

One of the best parts is that you can prepare fettuccine with almost any, if not all, sauces.

In this Article

What is Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno?

Paglia e Fieno literally means straw and hay.

This refers to the green, spinach pasta as hay, and the yellow egg pasta as straw.

Traditionally this Italian pasta originates from Siena, which is part of the Tuscany region, more precisely, is located in the central part of Italy.

The commingling of the green and cream fettuccine pasta gives a beautiful aesthetic appeal. Easy to identify at the store, one by the color of the pasta, and secondly, as it presented in the shape of little nests.

Those little nests usually cook relatively quickly.

If they are hard to find, of course, you can use regular egg fettuccine.

Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno Alla Carbonara

What is Carbonara?

A typical dish from Rome is made with eggs, hard cheese, either pecorino or parmesan, cured pork such as bacon or pancetta, and lots of pepper.

Depending on where you are in Italy, variations come into play of course. Adding onions and white wine is a version that we have been enjoying for quite some time now.

The sauce has a very creamy texture without adding any cream.

The creaminess is reached by beating the eggs with the cheese and adding some of the cooking water to your dish to keep it creamy.

However, one thing that Carbonara does not have and is absolutely not suited for is garlic, parsley, basil, or any spices that you may wish to add to it.

A Note From Giangi

Rich and creamy: Eggs, cheese, and pasta water create a silky sauce without the need for heavy cream.

Full of flavor: Crispy pancetta adds a delicious salty, savory bite to every forkful.

Beautiful presentation: The combination of green and golden fettuccine makes this dish as pretty as it is delicious.

Quick and easy: It comes together in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Simple ingredients: A handful of classic Italian ingredients transform into an elegant and satisfying pasta dish.

Giangi
fettuccine paglia e fieno alla carbanara on a white dish

How to make paglia e fieno carbonara

A straightforward recipe to make, but follow these suggestions for success:

Step 1: Fettuccine paglia e fieno is a simple recipe to prepare, but follow these suggestions for success:

Step 2: Reserve at least a cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta. This reserved cooking water, which contains the natural starch from the pasta, will be needed to emulsify the sauce.

Step 3: Cooking the bacon or pancetta with the onion over low heat will release all the bacon’s fat and the onion to become translucent and soft, thus giving it a fantastic flavor.

Step 4; Be very careful when you will add wine to the skillet. Turn the heat off to prevent any spillage

Step 5: Beat the eggs, parmesan cheese, and pepper in a large bowl. Parmesan is already salted by nature, therefore I would recommend waiting to salt it again.

Step 6: Save a cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta. Add it to the egg mixture first and mix well.

Step 7: Add the bacon-onion mixture once the fettuccine is well coated with the egg parmesan mixture. Doing this step will eliminate the egg mixture to cook too fast and have a grainy texture versus a creamy mixture.

Step 8: Yes, do cook the pasta a bit at dente, or to the bite. The cooking process will continue when you add the bacon-onion mixture to it.

onions and bacon cooking

Give a couple of extra grinds of pepper before serving. Serve with more parmesan if you so wish.

Egg pasta tastes so much richer than your usual dry pasta. Cooks the same amount of time but like all fresh homemade pasta, it grows.

Of late

in Italy, they are adding extra egg yolks to the fettuccine paglia e fieno alla carbonara. I enjoy the extra richness in the sauce. Try it and you decide what works best for you.

Do not be intimidated by the raw eggs. The egg will be cooked once beaten and the hot pasta and sauce pour over. Serve it on a large pasta bowl with a bit of a border to easily pick up the bacon pieces.

More Pasta Recipes You Will Love

If you tried this Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno Alla Carbonara or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.

Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno alla Carbonara

5 from 9 votes
Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno Alla Carbonara
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Giangi Townsend
Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno Alla Carbonara If there was a simple word to describe this dish, “fantastic” would be it.
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Ingredients 

  • 12 ounces fettuccine paglia e fieno
  • ½ yellow onion, medium, chopped in small pieced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 7 ounces bacon, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons Parmiggiano Reggiano, finely greated

Instructions

  • In a frying skillet over medium heat, cook the onions and the bacon with the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the wine. Lower the heat and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a large pan, boil the water with salt. Cook the fettuccine pasta al dente – 8 minutes.
  • Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the fettuccine.
  • In a large serving bowl beat the eggs and Parmigiano Reggiano until all is well incorporated.
  • When the pasta is done, Immediately add it to the egg mixture and mix well until all the pasta is coated. Add the bacon-onion – wine mixture and stir until all blended. If it is too dry, add some of the cooking water.
  • Serve hot with more Parmigiano.

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 169mg | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.

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Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno alla Carbonara in a white dish

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Originally published on October 5, 2016.