Also known as a courgette, the zucchini is technically a fruit, but has a neutral flavour so lends itself to a variety of dishes, savoury and sweet. This recipe is a healthier twist on traditional carbonara, but ridiculously tasty!
Zucchini Carbonara
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Servings
4
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Also known as a courgette, the zucchini is technically a fruit, but has a neutral flavour so lends itself to a variety of dishes, savoury and sweet. This recipe is a healthier twist on traditional carbonara, but ridiculously tasty!
Author:Cailie Ford
Ingredients
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4 medium zucchinis
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1 garlic clove
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300g pasta (I use fettuccine or penne)
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4 eggs, separated
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100ml milk
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1 handful parmesan cheese, grated
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100g pancetta
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5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
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Salt & pepper to taste
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Olive oil
Directions
Cook the pasta in a deep pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
Meanwhile, halve the zucchinis lengthways and chop into thick slices. Crush garlic clove.
For the sauce, lightly whisk together the egg yolks (the whites won’t be used in this recipe but can be frozen for another time), parmesan and milk. Season with salt & pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, before adding pancetta and frying until crisp.
Add zucchini slices and thyme leaves to the pan and stir to coat, cooking until the zucchini has softened a little (you don’t want to overdo it).
Remove pasta from the heat when cooked to drain (but reserve some of the cooking water). Add the cooked pasta to the frying pan with the zucchini and then immediately remove from heat.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of pasta cooking water into the carbonara sauce mix & stir to combine, before pouring over the pasta mix and tossing through.
Serve immediately (otherwise the eggs may scramble), adding a little more parmesan and salt & pepper if you wish.
