Quantities for carbonara: how much carbonara per person?
Carbonara is a pasta dish from the Italian region of Lazio. It is one of the classics of Italian cuisine and is also very popular in Germany.
If you are preparing it for family or guests, you should calculate the quantity per person in advance so that everyone gets enough.
A portion of spaghetti carbonara usually requires 150 grams of pasta, 75 grams of bacon, an egg and 50 grams of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. This results in a total portion of around 475 grams and corresponds to the average amount for one person.
In this article, you will find out how to find and adjust the perfect amount of carbonara.
How much spaghetti carbonara do you need per person?
The right amount for spaghetti carbonara is not clear. Exactly how much you need depends on several factors:
- Is it an appetizer or a main course?
- Is there a side dish, starter or dessert?
- How old is the target group?
- How hungry is the target group?
In Italy, spaghetti carbonara is actually considered a primi (starter), but in Germany the dish is almost always served as a main course. Depending on how the dish is served and what is served with it, the quantity must of course be adjusted.
If it is a main course, then the total weight of the meal should be between 400 and 550 grams. At least that’s what Apotheken Umschau writes in this article and it coincides with my own experience.
For the following table, I have calculated the amount of spaghetti carbonara required as a starter and main course. In each case, an average value is given(marked in bold) and a margin (±) in which the quantity can be adjusted depending on the estimated hunger of the target group.
Here you can see how much spaghetti carbonara you need to calculate in grams for up to 12 people:
| People | Spaghetti carbonara as a starter in grams | Spaghetti carbonara as a main course in grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 235 g (± 25 g) | 475 g (± 75 g) |
| 2 | 470 g (± 50 g) | 950 g (± 150 g) |
| 3 | 705 g (± 75 g) | 1425 g (± 225 g) |
| 4 | 940 g (± 100 g) | 1900 g (± 300 g) |
| 5 | 1175 g (± 125 g) | 2375 g (± 375 g) |
| 6 | 1410 g (± 150 g) | 2850 g (± 450 g) |
| 7 | 1645 g (± 175 g) | 3325 g (± 525 g) |
| 8 | 1880 g (± 200 g) | 3800 g (± 600 g) |
| 9 | 2115 g (± 225 g) | 4275 g (± 675 g) |
| 10 | 2350 g (± 250 g) | 4750 g (± 750 g) |
| 11 | 2585 g (± 275 g) | 5225 g (± 825 g) |
| 12 | 2820 g (± 300 g) | 5700 g (± 900 g) |
The values refer to the total quantity, i.e. pasta plus sauce.
You can find out how much pasta and sauce you need in the rest of the article.
How much spaghetti do you need for carbonara?
If you want to make carbonara, then of course you have to cook pasta.
Spaghetti is an excellent accompaniment, but other shapes are also possible. Tortellini, for example, are also popular.
Here I have calculated how many noodles you need per person for spaghetti carbonara. The figures are the same as all the other tables in this article.
Note: The quantities in the following table refer to dry, uncooked pasta. When cooked, dried pasta absorbs a lot of water and doubles in weight.
If you use fresh, not dried pasta, you will need a little more than stated. This is because fresh pasta contains more water than dried pasta and the weight gain after cooking is therefore less.
Here you can see how many (dry) noodles you need for spaghetti carbonara as a starter and main course:
| People | Amount of spaghetti per person for carbonara as a starter | Amount of spaghetti per person for carbonara as a main course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 g (± 25 g) | 150 g (± 50 g) |
| 2 | 150 g (± 50 g) | 300 g (± 100 g) |
| 3 | 225 g (± 75 g) | 450 g (± 150 g) |
| 4 | 300 g (± 100 g) | 600 g (± 200 g) |
| 5 | 375 g (± 125 g) | 750 g (± 250 g) |
| 6 | 450 g (± 150 g) | 900 g (± 300 g) |
| 7 | 525 g (± 175 g) | 1050 g (± 350 g) |
| 8 | 600 g (± 200 g) | 1200 g (± 400 g) |
| 9 | 675 g (± 225 g) | 1350 g (± 450 g) |
| 10 | 750 g (± 250 g) | 1500 g (± 500 g) |
| 11 | 825 g (± 275 g) | 1650 g (± 550 g) |
| 12 | 900 g (± 300 g) | 1800 g (± 600 g) |
How much carbonara sauce do you need per person?
The sauce is mainly made up of:
- Egg
- Bacon (Guanciale)
- Parmesan cheese
Here you can see how much sauce you need in total for spaghetti carbonara:
| People | Amount of sauce for spaghetti carbonara per person as a starter | Amount of sauce for spaghetti carbonara per person as a main course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85 g (± 25 g) | 175 g (± 50 g) |
| 2 | 170 g (± 50 g) | 350 g (± 100 g) |
| 3 | 255 g (± 75 g) | 525 g (± 150 g) |
| 4 | 340 g (± 100 g) | 700 g (± 200 g) |
| 5 | 425 g (± 125 g) | 875 g (± 250 g) |
| 6 | 510 g (± 150 g) | 1050 g (± 300 g) |
| 7 | 595 g (± 175 g) | 1225 g (± 350 g) |
| 8 | 525 g (± 200 g) | 1400 g (± 400 g) |
| 9 | 680 g (± 225 g) | 1575 g (± 450 g) |
| 10 | 765 g (± 250 g) | 1750 g (± 500 g) |
| 11 | 935 g (± 275 g) | 1925 g (± 550 g) |
| 12 | 1020 g (± 300 g) | 2100 g (± 600 g) |
How much ham do you need for carbonara?
Guanciale is usually used for traditional carbonara sauce.
The following table shows how much guanciale you need per person for carbonara:
| People | Amount of bacon for spaghetti carbonara per person as a starter | Amount of bacon for spaghetti carbonara per person as a main course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 g | 75 g |
| 2 | 80 g | 150 g |
| 3 | 120 g | 225 g |
| 4 | 160 g | 300 g |
| 5 | 200 g | 375 g |
| 6 | 240 g | 450 g |
| 7 | 280 g | 525 g |
| 8 | 320 g | 600 g |
| 9 | 360 g | 675 g |
| 10 | 400 g | 750 g |
| 11 | 440 g | 825 g |
| 12 | 480 g | 900 g |
How much egg do you need for carbonara?
The carbonara sauce tastes more delicate with pure egg yolk, but I usually use whole eggs so that I don’t have to process the egg white in any other way.
The following table shows how many eggs you need per person for spaghetti carbonara:
| People | Quantity of eggs for carbonara per person as a starter (eggs size M) | Quantity of eggs for carbonara per person as a starter (eggs size M) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½ Egg | 1 egg |
| 2 | 1 egg | 2 eggs |
| 3 | 1 ½ eggs | 3 eggs |
| 4 | 2 eggs | 4 eggs |
| 5 | 2 ½ eggs | 5 eggs |
| 6 | 3 eggs | 6 eggs |
| 7 | 3 ½ eggs | 7 eggs |
| 8 | 4 eggs | 8 eggs |
| 9 | 4 ½ eggs | 9 eggs |
| 10 | 5 eggs | 10 eggs |
| 11 | 5 ½ eggs | 11 eggs |
| 12 | 6 eggs | 12 eggs |
