Carbonara Vegetariana - Vegetarian Carbonara

This Vegetarian 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 great for summer (we call it Carbonara Estiva!) It’s super easy to make and you only need five main ingredients - eggs, pecorino, black pepper, pasta and courgette. To get the perfect creamy consistency and not end up with scrambled eggs, make sure you turn the heat off before adding the egg mix and stir vigorously straight away. The eggs will cook with the residual heat from the pan and the warm pasta.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 200g linguine (you can also use spaghetti or rigatoni)
• 2 medium whole eggs
• 2 medium egg yolks 
• Freshly ground black peppercorn
• 2 small green courgettes 
• 60g pecorino cheese, plus extra for serving

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil ready to cook your pasta. 
2. Dice the courgette into 2cm pieces. Bring a large frying pan to a medium-high heat then add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and carefully add in the courgette. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the courgette until they're nice and golden but they still hold their shape. 
3. Meanwhile, make the carbonara cream. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks to a bowl along with a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Add all of the grated pecorino cheese and beat it all together until a nice cream has formed and the cheese is well incorporated. You can add a little bit of salt at this point but be careful not too add too much as the pecorino is quite savoury already. 
4. Drop the pasta into the salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Once the pasta is perfectly cooked, take the pan with the courgette off the heat and add the pasta straight to the pan. Now add the carbonara cream and give it a good mix. The residual heat of the pan and the pasta will cook the eggs perfectly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of pasta water to loosen it. Give it another stir and serve up. Plate the pasta and top with the courgette pieces and the creamy sauce. Enjoy!

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