A healthier, vegetarian version of the traditional spaghetti alla carbonara,
complemented with zucchini for a sweeter and more delicate taste
Happy Monday!
My Monday has been great so far. This morning I received an email from Honest Cooking Magazine saying that one of my recipe has been published on their magazine. You might remember this appetizer from a few weeks ago, the artichokes, pancetta and cheese cups. Check it out! Today's recipe is a traditional Italian pasta, the spaghetti alla carbonara, with a wholesome and vegetarian twist! If you love carbonara, but are skeptical about the deliciously sinful pancetta, and prefer a healthier alternative, this is the recipe for you. I replaced the pancetta with zucchini, for a sweeter and more delicate taste. A must-try!
Ingredients: serving 4
- 3 zucchini
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 12 oz of thick spaghetti (I use Barilla!)
- salt
Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water boils, cook the spaghetti as directed in the box.
Step 2: In a large skillet, cook over medium-high heat the zucchini cut in long sticks with the olive oil. Salt to taste. After the first minute, cover the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until done.
Step 3: In a bowl, beat the eggs with a bit of salt.
Step 4: When the pasta is ready, drain and toss in the skillet with the zucchini. Add the eggs and the Parmesan cheese, and quickly mix the spaghetti with two forks until the eggs thicken and cook slightly, but are still soft.
Buon Appetito!
How do you get the eggs not to cook like scrambled eggs??
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia! There are different ways people like to cook a carbonara at the really end. To avoid making scrambled eggs, some like to toss the pasta with the eggs at the end turning off the stove. So only the heat of the hot pasta will partially cook the eggs. I generally don't like this way of doing it, because I rather not serve my kids somewhat raw eggs. What I do, is leave the stove on and just toss the pasta with the zucchini (or pancetta in the traditional recipe) and mixing quickly with two forks add the egg mixture. You have to be quick and decide how soon to remove the pan from the stove. I hope this helps :)
DeleteThanks. I'll give it a try!
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