Lately I find myself heading over to Simply Recipes whenever I’m not sure what to make for dinner. Nine times out of ten, I want to make whatever Elise’s most recent post is. And often times I do. Sometimes almost immediately. The Zucchini Pasta Carbonara was one I had to make pretty soon after I saw it!
I thought I had egg noodles on hand, but I did not. However, the Al Dente spinach fettuccine I did use worked fabulously.
Here’s what you for Zucchini Pasta Carbonara:
- 3/4 pounds of egg noodles (or any thick pasta)
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T butter
- 1/4 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2-4 summer squash (I used 2 medium ones and thought it was a good amount), chopped
- 4 eggs
- 1 C parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 t lemon zest
- 1/2 C basil, sliced thin
First, bring your pot water for the pasta to a boil. There’s nothing worse than being ready for your pasta and realizing you still have to boil the water. I just have to say, I was cooking this meal in Chris’s kitchen and he has next to nothing when it comes to cooking utensils and counter space (super nice kitchen but barely any counters!). So, this meal was a bit of a struggle to get on the table, but I think I did a good job with what I had.
Put the olive oil and butter in a frying pan on medium high and lay your prosciutto in the pan.
Fry the prosciutto got about 30 seconds on each side and then remove from pan and place on a peper towel covered plate.
Using the same pan you cooked the prosciutto in, add the squash, onion, and garlic, still on medium high. Stir the vegetables so they’re coated with oil from the pan and spread them out and salt and pepper them. Cook until they are slightly browned.
This is where I put my pasta in the boiling water. You might want to do it sooner depending on how long you need to cook it. My Al Dente only took 3 minutes!
Now that the prosciutto is cooler, you can tear it into little pieces.
Now, in a medium bow, beat your eggs and mix in the grated parm and lemon zest. My parmesan was more chopped finely as Chris doesn’t have a grater (eeek).
I drained the pasta, reserving 1/2 C of liquid. Add the veggies to the pasta. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and quickly stir with a wooden spoon. The heat will cook the egg. Trust me, it works! Then stir in the prosciutto and basil.
Add more basil to garnish.
Seriously yum. I know carbonara isn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but sometimes you need some comfort food. And there’s zucchini squash in it too, so at least there’s some nutrition! Plus, it was easy to cook with minimal kitchen tools!
But really, this dish is amazingly filling and satisfying and you don’t need a ton of it to feel full. The sauce is delicious and I’m a fan of the thick noodles.
And obviously prosciutto. Prosciutto is delicious in anything (it is a kind of bacon, after all). I can see this becoming a serious winter staple.
[Sues]
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Who said Carbonara isn’t healthy??!
Seriously one of my favorite pasta dishes and I was wondering about Elise’s recipe. Great job Sues, you have me sold!
Love the fettucini! So glad you liked the recipe. It’s one I can eat over and over again.
Made the eggplant stacks as a side dish on the weekend……sooo good and so easy on my stovetop grill and now I can’t wait to try the carbonara. I may just return to cooking again, thanks to you!
Just THINKING about this is making me feel warm and fuzzy. Great recipe and I love the fettucine addition.
I will be eating this. SOON.
this looks yummy and i love squash for the fall. i bet pumpkin would be good as well.
Mmm, this looks amazing with all that summer squash and prosciutto – yum!
This one looks amazing, will try soon! In fact, I just found your site and I think I have my next 2 months worth of meals figured out! Thanks!