How to Make a Creamy Penne Carbonara: Tips and Tricks on Making Dishes Healthier

Some days I just crave some creamy rich and fatty carbonara. However, being conscious of one’s health and weight, a rich and fatty, and creamy dish with pasta might not always be the healthiest option. But a pasta dish will not be the same without pasta.

A trick that I have lately been using is to half the carbs in the dish and replace them with a counterpart of vegetables. For example, pasta when you cook and eat it al dente is as the word translates: toothsome, or a little on the tough side. I do not want to use the word crunchy because then it might sound like the pasta is undercooked. But to my mind, broccoli stems are a perfect counterpart to pasta because it is somewhat toothsome when just barely cooked.

So, what I do: add only half the amount of pasta you would normally have used, add the remaining half consisting of broccoli stems, and why not add some broccoli for good measure as well?

And there you have it: Make dishes somewhat healthier by using fewer carbs and replacing them with a vegetable counterpart!

But let me stop musing and show you how I make this dish, and give you some tips on making an extra creamy carbonara sauce using only cheese, egg, fat, and heat!

Recipe/Ingredients

Divide broccoli into stems and the flower head. Then you have two ingredients! The rest of the ingredients:

  • Eggs,
  • Hard cheese,
  • Any smoked type meat (not authentic but seriously delicious!),
  • Pasta (half of what you are used to),
  • Pasta water,
  • Pepper, and
  • The fat from whatever meat you used rendered out (or olive oil).

Method(s)

There are various ways to make carbonara and some people are very strict about making an authentic version of the dish. And I am also one of those who do not like it when people call something carbonara then add different ingredients that do not belong in a carbonara.

But I will for the sake of this recipe walk into my own trap and add different ingredients to the authentic dish. Thus rendering it not an authentic carbonara dish. But I like to experiment, and people should not stick with their routines to the detriment of creative thinking. Cooking is after all about experimentation! So let us get creative.

I first brown the broccoli stems. This gives them an extreme depth of flavor and they remain crunchy to simulate the pasta we removed from the dish.

Whilst this is going on, I crack some eggs into a heat-safe bowl.

I add the grated hard cheese with the eggs and lightly mix it all.

The next step all depends on how fast and efficient you work and how confident you are. It is a bit of a show-off dish if you are confident in your abilities. If the pasta is almost cooked, and all the other ingredients are prepared, begin to slowly cook your egg and cheese mixture over the pasta water that is still boiling.

You will begin to see how the cheese melts, the egg starts to cook, and the mixture begins to slightly thicken.

You can also slowly begin to drizzle in the fat/oil that you used to cook the meat in. You will effectively begin to make a type of hollandaise sauce. Be very careful to not add too much oil too quickly. Slowly drizzle it in whilst constantly whisking. The sauce will thicken even more.

If your timing was just right, the pasta will be cooked when the sauce is almost finished. Add all of the ingredients – that is the pasta, broccoli, and meat – together and stir constantly so that the sauce does not split. Add some pasta water to loosen the sauce a bit.

And there you have it. A very complicated dish made simple, healthier, and more delicious (according to me!).

This has been a go-to recipe for me over the years. I have made it countless times, sometimes with stunning success, sometimes not so much. But if you understand the basics to this sauce, the options are endless. I mean, you can actually get rid of all the meat and pasta to make it vegetables with a hollandaise sauce. Okay, but then it is not carbonara anymore….

One can get very philosophical about this dish. Similar to the thought experiment of how many grains of sand make a heap, or how many planks can you remove from a boat before the boat is not the same boat anymore (Theseus’ Ship), one can wonder how much you can change a dish before it gets something totally different.

But this opens the space for creative thinking and experimentation. Some people are happy with merely following a recipe. And that is totally fine! But some people are not. I am part of the group that makes recipes or creates dishes. I do not like to follow a recipe. In fact, the only time I follow a recipe is when I bake bread. When I cook, I let my creative mind just flow without restrictions.

Irrespective of what type of cook you are, I hope you try this dish and get inspired to create your own version of it! All of the photographs are my own and the musings as well. The recipe is based on countless articles and YouTube videos and many renditions in my own kitchen. Have you tried to make carbonara? Have you ever changed a carbonara dish? Please comment below! Happy cooking, and stay safe.

Sort:  

I've been wanting to eat pasta these days and I saw this recipe. 🤗
Both with meat and vegetables and less pasta. This is exactly the recipe I wanted and liked.
I want to bake pasta. Maybe I can try the baked version of this recipe.
Enjoy your meal! 😋

Oh baked versions are always so nice! I love the crispy pieces of pasta and cheese that burns a little bit. Now I am hungry all over again! Thank you so much for the comment. Have a lovely evening. I hope you satisfy the craving soon.

Cooking from the heart and taste to delight a family, very seldom use recipes gleaning ideas like this when reading to experiment.

Thanks for the tips and ideas, most my pasta dishes arrive with meat and vegetables as the boys needed a balanced meal growing up, pasta was a great way to hide many vegetables they would not eat as a single serving !LOLZ

Oh yes for sure! Hiding vegetables in pasta is the best way to go. And it makes it so tasty though. Baked broccoli pasta with cheese and sauce is just awesome.

Food preparation to taste up to individual, broccoli I particularly like in a bake with tomato, piece of chuck meat with onion rounds on top baked in the oven, bit of salt and pepper should one feel necessary. Layer broccoli, tomatoe, meat/chicken, onion pop into oven.

I am definitely going to make this soon. It sounds amazing. One can effectively make this with as little starch as possible, which is good in my diet. Thanks for this amazing dish/recipe!

I buy fresh from little Indian store who source fresh from local inland farmers or market. Cook each day whatever is in season and whichever way I feel tastes will compliment each other.

That is the best way to cook. There is some theories in the food and herbal world that our bodies only want food that is seasonal. Or, our bodies want to cleanse and detox itself by not eating food that is out of season. Very interesting research.

Seasonal overdrive especially with fruit and vegetables come in waves ever changing, little need to think about how to cook most will combine pretty well together. Only thing I seldom do is cook fruit into food which my family do not enjoy.

Ahh pasta, it was really hard to resist but.... Yeah need to watch the health..

Well broccoli is one yummy too, one of my choice but it was expensive in my country

Oh that is a shame. Broccoli is very nice and healthy. But you can always use something similar that is cheap and readily available! It is all about experimenting and trying strange combinations until you find something that works for you!

Hi @fermentedphil, I've never made a Carbonara, yours looks absolutely delicious, that sauce is so smooth, one would expect curdling, but you've nailed it here, really yum!
When cooking for the family and our hungry young bnb guests, I usually just make a simple layered pasta dish with a bolognaise sauce, tomato, basil & onion sauce & finished off with a cheese sauce. It's simple, tasty and filling.
Guess what I'm going to try making soon?

Yes, I have visited Italian pasta restaurants that sell curdled sauce. One would have thought they would not send it to the customers but they did. Anyways, it is all about technique! Slowly tempering the eggs and then emulsifying the sauce. It is a bit of a show-off dish!

Oh that sounds delightful! I am literally salivating reading all the comments about pasta dishes tonight. I am with you on that, pasta dish on the menu very soon!


The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @edwing357 ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

I like this addition. I must say I'm a huge fan of pasta and it makes up 80% of my food intake (I know, I'm drowning in carbs). I've always liked adding extra veggies to my dishes to stretch them out a little but I never used it as a way to reduce the carbs, what clever thinking.

To be honest, I like my pasta well done, not gooey and not toothy or undercooked or overcooked but just soft that it melts in your mouth. I don't think I could define exactly what al dente means because I've been cooking pasta the same way for so long.

You meal looks delicious, I'd even lick my plate.

I usually lick the plates the sauce is just that good.

Thank you so much! I always try to make things a little healthier whilst still keeping the hearty factor high. You don’t want to be reminded that you are eating healthy.

To each their own regarding that! My girlfriend also does not like al dente pasta. But life is too short to care about what others like, it is about liking what you like. I always say that one should eat what one likes and craves!

I agree entirely - eating healthily can be just as good as not, it's all about what you do with the food to make it taste good...cooking with love is what I call it.

Life is definitely too short to not make and enjoy good food!

There we go! Even healthy food can be deliciously good and hearty without being full of sugars and fats that are not healthy. In fact, I think if you cook, as you say with love, but also by respecting the ingredients, you can make something far superior to any fast food food or unhealthy snacks. Cheers to enjoying good food!

Looks good and yummy recipe 😋😋😋😋😋😋😋
Simple and easy to make. Love it 😍

Thank you so much! Indeed, simple and easy with a couple of tricks. Stay well!

Thank you for sharing this post on HIVE!

Your content got selected by our fellow curator semarekha & you just received a little thank you upvote from us for your great work! Your post will be featured in one of our recurring compilations which are aiming to offer you a stage to widen your audience within the DIY scene of Hive. Next time make sure to post / cross-post your creation within the DIYHub community on HIVE and you will receive a higher upvote ;) Stay creative & HIVE ON!


Please vote for our hive witness <3

Manually curated by EwkaW from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

CKq55bDMMa5C9zjdaYBZxnPMSS25AZZuNXNLEYfzw2o7RznvGD2vzBRbDH4vP4bFjA2DoCbXAwo9bZBWrEKeCNaumQtyN4TPp8KNR7DwgJAmPxhmWiEeMsAaUB1qorVXzqBzT95BCg7ey5BxeLdfXVFFx9gv14JaHwZrnHGXMU9JYxCPVUow8TnBRwFuii6EuvsU9aafvRqVqjJ9o343ccawwh.png

Yum! You have been curated by @anggreklestari on behalf of FoodiesUnite.net on #Hive. Thanks for using the #foodie tag. We are a tribe for the Foodie community with a unique approach to content and community and we are here on #Hive.

Join the foodie fun! We've given you a FOODIE boost. Come check it out at @foodiesunite for the latest community updates. Spread your gastronomic delights on and claim your tokens.

Looks delicious 😋😋😋

It really was! Thank you so much!