Carbonara, featuring crisp pork bits simmered in a creamy sauce and tossed with pasta, already tastes heavenly, but to make it even better, Giada De Laurentiis adds some cinnamon.

For the sauce, she sprinkles ground cinnamon over browned, crispy pancetta and bacon bits, cooking for two minutes to further crisp the pork and infuse the spice’s flavor.

Giada then reduces the heat, adding a mixture of heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, salt, and pepper, allowing it to simmer before introducing fettuccine pasta to the blend.

The cinnamon adds a subtle sweetness and warmth to enhance the flavors of the pork, eggs, and dairy without being overpowering. Being fried in fat, it also releases a bright aroma.

The celebrity chef uses only a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon for 2 cups of heavy cream and 18 ounces of fresh pasta to turn her pasta alla carbonara into the ultimate comfort food.