If you want to double the recipe: Just double everything and follow the recipe as written.

Make it veggie: This would actually be delicious even without the chorizo, as you still get the smoky spiciness from the paprika, chill & garlic. Skip the chorizo and instead of the chorizo oil, add a good amount of olive oil ora chilli oil. Fry the garlic & chilli in that and continue as written.

Variations:

• Use guanciale for it to be more like a classic carbonara but obviously still not traditional!

• Basil instead of parsley would be good.

• Use whatever pasta shape you like but I do think the best one here is tagliatelle or spaghetti. Or bucatini actually!

• Pecorino instead of parmesan works well.

• If you don’t love spice, you could skip the red chilli and add a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Or nothing at all and just go with the smokiness from the paprika and chorizo. I always taste a tiny corner of the chilli to see how spicy it actually is. Often the large red ones in the UK aren’t that spicy, so adjust how you like.

Tips for saucy creamy pasta

• When you boil pasta, it releases its starches into the water which is why it’s so important later on. This starch in the water is crucial when it comes to making a creamy, emulsified sauce with eggs and cheese. So make sure to KEEP the pasta water. I typically just use tongs to move the spaghetti from one pan to another, so you keep the large pan of water easily.

• The other key part is to TOSS! I mean it, you really need to get in there with tongs and agitate the pasta strands with the eggs & cheese, to make a creamy sauce. Then, depending on what it looks like, add more or less pasta water. If it’s not very saucy, add a splash more. If it looks like there’s enough liquid in the pan but it’s not quite together, then keep tossing.

• I keep my pan over low-medium heat when I add the eggs with the pasta but this is over an induction stove. If you are cooking on a gas stove, you might want to cut the heat completely to avoid scrambling the eggs and ending up with a grainy texture.

What to do with leftovers: I don’t typically love leftover pasta the next day (plus I doubt you will have any leftover as it is just so good) but you can store in a tupperware in the fridge for 3 days. Heat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen it and reheat.