Zucchini Carbonara
Pasta carbonara is a true Roman classic, that creamy egg and cheese sauce spiced with black pepper and studded with crispy bits of pancetta or guanciale, it might be one of my favorite classic pasta dishes of all time!
But what I wanted to do was take this classic and give it a vegetarian twist that will still retain the goodness of the classic version. The sauce will stay the same, but rather than guanciale I will be using chunks of zucchini, and rather than the fat that the pork would’ve let out, I’ll be frying the zucchini in olive oil. The zucchini might not replace the crunchy goodness that comes from guanciale, but it will still be a delicious meatless alternative either if you are or know someone who is vegetarian.
Serves 4
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
Olive oil
2 medium zucchini, ends removed and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (Or Parmigiano), plus more for topping
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente.
Meanwhile, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a wide nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the zucchini and a pinch of salt, then cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is golden brown and cooked through.
While the pasta and zucchini cook, beat the eggs, yolks, cheese, pepper, and a light pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl until combined. Go easy on the salt as the cheese is quite salty. Steal about 1/3 cup of the pasta’s cooking water and whisk that into the eggs as well.
(It’s going to look very watery at this point, but just wait.)
Drain the pasta, then add to the pan with the zucchini, and toss to combine. Take the pan off the heat and add the egg mixture, then use tongs to swirl everything and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the egg mixture thickens up into a lovely creamy sauce. Immediately transfer to plates, top with more cheese, and serve.
