Carbonara
Creamy traditional carbonara with added protein for extra pairing
Carbonara is made up of very GD friendly ingredients, but the main issue is the pasta! Here I have made my carbonara with wholewheat spaghetti and have added chicken for extra pairing too.
Traditional carbonara does not have chicken however it is this added protein that helps to pair the spaghetti and helps to fill you up.
Another option is to use courgetti (spiralised or grated courgette) instead of spaghetti if you do not tolerate pasta very well, or you can do a mixture of spaghetti and courgetti to reduce the carbs.
It’s important to try to include a small serving of complex carbs with each meal if possible and so this is why I do not recommend completely eliminating it from the dish unless you personally do not tolerate pasta well.
Carbonara
Creamy traditional carbonara with added protein for extra pairing
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Servings: 4 people
Calories: 508kcal
Ingredients
- 240 grams wholewheat spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 whole cooked chicken breast skinless, chopped
- 2 whole cloves of garlic (optional) skin on, smashed
- 100 grams pancetta or streaky bacon, diced
- 4 medium eggs (plus an extra egg yolk if you want it extra creamy)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 100 grams parmesan finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the wholewheat spaghetti to cook
- Add the olive to a cold pan, add the chopped pancetta or bacon and turn on the heat to high, then add the smashed skin on garlic cloves if using
- Add the eggs (and extra egg yolk if you want an extra creamy sauce) to a bowl and whisk
- Add the grated parmesan and black pepper to the egg and mix thoroughly
- Add cooked chicken pieces to the pancetta pan to heat through
- Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the heat and set aside until your spaghetti is cooked
- Remove the garlic cloves from the pan and discard, then add the cooked spaghetti along with a couple of tbsp of the pasta cooking water
- Pour over the egg and cheese mixture (PLEASE NOTE: The pan must have cooled enough for you to touch so that you do not scramble the eggs, yet it is warm enough to emulsify and create a sauce) then stir through
- If your sauce is too sticky add additional tbsps of pasta cooking water until you create a creamy sauce to your liking
- Serve with an additional grating of parmesan, some more freshly ground black pepper and some chopped flat leaf parsley
Notes
This recipe is very versatile. You can easily swap out the chicken and bacon for Quorn pieces to make it vegetarian, however using mushrooms or other vegetables alone will not pair the pasta enough, so additional protein is needed.
You can also add mushrooms, green beans, spinach or asparagus to add additional vitamins, minerals and fibre to the dish and bulk it up more.
It is advisable to avoid adding peas or sweetcorn due these increasing the carb amounts too much alongside the pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 25g | of which saturates: 9g | Fibre: 1g | of which sugars: 1g
