Carbonara is the perfect comfort meal, and always tastes amazing whether you’re eating it curled up on the couch or on a sunny cobbled street in Italy. Originating from the Lazio region of Italy, it’s one of the most famous pasta dishes around.
The creamy savoury sauce paired with the salty guincale or pancetta is what makes it so delicious. However, if you’re not a meat-eater or simply fancy trying something a bit different, then there’s one recipe that should be on your radar. Chef Francesco Mattana says you can make a light and delicate carbonara by ditching the bacon altogether in favour of one vegetable.
Taking to TikTok, the chef urged people to try making a vegetarian carbonara at home, using cubes of courgette instead of meat. The vibrant green veg is in season right now, so it will be even more delicious, and a pack of two will only cost you 74p from Asda.
He said: “This carbonara is rich and creamy and the courgette gives a more delicate and light flavour compared to the guanciale. This makes this recipe perfect for anyone who is looking for a delicious vegetarian first course and is a great summer version of a carbonara.”
Fans of the recipe in the comments described it as ‘better than the meat version,’ while another said: “Wow, that looks absolutely delicious.” Here’s how you can make it at home.
Courgette carbonara
Ingredients
- 200g linguine
- Two whole small eggs and 2 small egg yolks
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Two small green courgette
- 60g pecorino cheese plus extra for serving
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
Method
Dice the courgette into large squares. Drizzle a good amount of olive oil in a pan and fry the courgette on a medium high temperature until nice and golden, adding ‘loads of black pepper’ at the end.
For the carbonara cream, use one whole egg and one egg yolk per person. Add more black pepper, a pinch of salt and the grated pecorino cheese and whisk together until you’ve got a nice thick sauce.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain it, reserving some of the pasta water, and take the courgette pan off the heat and put the pasta straight in there.
Then, pour in the carbonara sauce. The residual heat of the pan and the pasta will cook the eggs ‘to perfection’ without overdoing it.
Quickly give it a nice mix all together, and if it looks too dry, add a splash of the pasta water. Serve up immediately.
Showing off the delicious-looking plate, Francesco said: “It’s so creamy, look at that. If you’ve never tried carbonara like this, now is your excuse.”