Pasta carbonara

11
Points®
Total Time
46 min
Prep
24 min
Cook
22 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Moderate
You can easily make this classic pasta dish vegetarian. Omit the bacon and save yourself from adding unnecessary fat. It's also lightened up by utilizing part-skim ricotta cheese, liquid egg substitute instead of whole eggs or egg yolks (which are usually cooked when tossed with the hot pasta), as well as fat-free skim milk instead of lots of cream. Using both ricotta and Parmesan helps thicken the sauce and adds lots of hearty, rich flavor. You'll enjoy this recipe so much that you'll never go back to the heavier ones again. Top it off with some chopped up fresh parsley before serving for a hint of brightness and color.

Ingredients

Uncooked fettuccine

½ pound(s), or fusilli bucati

Margarine

2 tsp

Onion

1 medium, finely chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Part skim ricotta cheese

cup(s)

Liquid egg substitute

cup(s)

Fat free skim milk

½ cup(s)

Cooked Canadian-style bacon

2 slice(s), cut into strips

Grated Parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp

Fresh oregano

1 Tbsp, chopped

Table salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp

Fresh parsley

2 Tbsp, chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and keep warm.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick saucepan, melt margarine. Sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, beat ricotta with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in egg substitute and onion mixture until combined. Stir in milk, bacon, most of Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. Add pasta.
  4. Add mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring gently, until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve at once, sprinkled with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.