A pasta dinner is a quick win for an evening meal and a dish of carbonara will leave you full and content. Some controversy exists about whether or not cream should be added - and traditionally, the Italian staple does not contain any cream; however, there are crucial tips to follow for an authentic carbonara, whether you add cream or not.

Following this recipe which does use a 'light' cream in the ingredients will give you a perfect Italian-style dinner - and you'll never look back. Plus there is one thing you'll definitely need to do to make a delicious carbonara, along with another handy tip that will make it even tastier. This tasty pasta will be ready in just 30 minutes, so it's an ideal dinner when you're short of time.

To effectively make this tasty version of carbonara you'll need to whisk the egg whites so they are completely combined with the yolks.

This simple tip will make the carbonara taste divine - and it'll be smooth and creamy.

Bacon cut up into small pieces gives carbonara a nice texture, plus the salty taste compliments the creaminess.

The website Taste.com.au is Australia's 'number one cooking resource' - and they've shared this exceptional pasta recipe.

You'll need spaghetti, olive oil (extra virgin is best), bacon - cut into 1cm pieces, two garlic cloves and chopped flat leaf parsley, a light thickened cream, two eggs and one egg yolk, parmesan cheese - and some salad leaves to serve it with.

But another tip for this recipe, which also works for most pasta dishes, is to collect some of the pasta water once it's boiled and when you drain it.

If you collect the equivalent of a small espresso cup of the salted water that the pasta has boiled in - and add it to the sauce when putting that together - this will really enhance the pasta dish.

The total ingredients for this carbonara dish, listed on Taste.com.au are as follows:

Of course, you do not have to stick to the brands suggested by Taste.com.au- any ingredients of these types will work just the same.

375g Garofalo Spaghetti

1 tbsp Coles Brand Pure Olive Oil

200g Coles Short Cut Bacon, cut into 1cm pieces

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup Coles Simply Less Light Thickened Cream

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Mixed salad leaves, to serve

Taste.com.au then sets out these steps to follow:

Step 1

Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Cook bacon for 4-5 mins or until golden and crisp. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 min. Add parsley and remove from heat.

Step 3

Whisk cream, eggs and yolk together in a jug. Add half of the parmesan and season with pepper. Return pasta to pan with cream mixture and toss to combine.

If you wish, you can reserve some of the pasta cooking water by scooping out a small cup of it before draining the spaghetti.

If you follow this pasta water tip, then add a small amount of pasta cooking water into the bowl when all else is done - and stir it in.

Step 4

Divide the spaghetti mixture among bowls. Top with remaining parmesan. Season with pepper and serve with salad.

The easy quick satisfying dish is now ready to enjoy, buon appetito!