Low Carb Zucchini Carbonara
Low Carb Zucchini Carbonara
Thursday, July 30, 2009
We’ve been trying to reduce or eliminate any refined sugars and carbohydrates from our diet, so obviously pasta is something we rarely eat anymore BUT one of the great things we came across via Jamie Oliver is this fantastic recipe for carbonara. Without the pasta it’s incredibly fresh and light tasting. I’m sure you’d be able to do the same thing with asparagus etc. It’s super quick and easy to do - here’s how:
Chopped scallions and zucchini. In this case I’ve decided to create “pasta” by slicing the zucchini into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. I’ve also done it before by cutting the zucchini into penne size pieces
For the rest of it chop up about 4 strips of bacon, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 egg yolks, 1/4 cup heavy cream, a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper
Beat together the egg yolk with the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, and add a little salt and pepper - set aside
In a skillet on medium high heat, brown the bacon, take it out of the pan and set aside. You can empty out some of the bacon fat if you like but leave at least 2 tablespoons in the pan and add the scallions and garlic, cooking until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Here’s the tricky bit: take the skillet with the zucchini off of the heat, and have a small cup of warm water waiting in case the mixture gets too thick or sticky (although the zucchini has a fair amount of water in it so you shouldn’t really need it). Return the bacon to the pan and quickly pour the egg/cream/cheese mixture into the pan and fold it together with the vegetables. The sauce should coat the vegetables in a nice smooth, glossy light sauce. Take it out of the pan and serve it up immediately. For an extra dimension, add some lemon zest to the top of the serving.
The zucchini makes an awesome side dish, or even a main, and for this meal we served it up with some grilled shrimp and a mixed leaf salad from the garden