Mushroom Carbonara
A tasty, creamy pasta dish with a deep mushroom flavour that's ready in only 45 mins. Ideal for calorie counting or slimming plans like Weight Watchers!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories466
- Carbs59g
- Protein28g
- Fat12g
- Saturates5.2g
- Sugars6.7g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
For a quick and tasty pasta dish, carbonara is one of our go-to recipes. For a twist on the traditional version, we’ve subbed for chestnut mushrooms for a really deep flavour without the bacon or ham!
Perfect for feeding the family when you need a speedy dinner, this indulgent pasta hits all the boxes: rich, creamy and savoury. It’s hard to believe something this good comes in at under 500 calories! A similar dish at a restaurant could easily set you back way more if they’re using oil, but we have made some clever swaps to keep it light.
We love cooking with Parmesan as it has an intense flavour for a relatively small amount! For feeding four people, 60g sounds like a small amount, but trust us, a little goes a long way! If you don’t have any chestnut mushrooms, you could use button mushrooms instead. Serve alongside garlic bread for a slimming friendly treat dinner without compromising on flavour!
What diets is this Mushroom Carbonara suitable for?
This Mushroom Carbonara recipe can be made gluten free and vegetarian as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free and/or vegetarian versions;
- Spaghetti
- Stock pot
- Henderson’s Relish instead of Worcestershire sauce
- Vegetarian hard cheese instead of Parmesan
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Mushroom Carbonara?
Chestnut mushrooms are the best mushrooms for a deep earthy flavour, but button mushrooms will do if you can’t find them. You still get all the nutrients and texture that make this dish so delicious!
We recommend Henderson’s Relish as a vegetarian substitute to Worcestershire sauce if you want to make this recipe veggie-friendly, and you can find it in the condiment aisle at the supermarket.
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How many calories are in this Mushroom Carbonara?
There are 466 calories per portion in this Mushroom Carbonara, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
You could easily cut the portion size in half and serve it with an accompaniment to cut the amount of calories down!
This Mushroom Carbonara is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring until slightly softened and golden brown.
Step 2
Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 3
Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, over a medium heat.
Step 4
Add the stock and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Simmer, uncovered, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the stock has reduced by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 5
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water for 9 – 12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
Step 6
Place the eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork until broken up and evenly mixed.
Step 7
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and yoghurt and season to taste.
Step 8
Tip the mushroom mixture and the egg mixture into the bowl of spaghetti and toss to combine well.
Step 9
Serve immediately, garnished with a little Parmesan cheese and chopped flat leaf parsley.
What could I serve with this Mushroom Carbonara?
This recipe is designed to be filling and substantial on its own. To cut down on calories or to make it go even further, you can serve a smaller portion alongside one of our scrummy sides:
How do you know when Mushroom Carbonara is cooked?
You should cook this Mushroom Carbonara until the stock has reduced by half. This will take around 10 minutes. Be sure to pour the spaghetti into a bowl before adding the egg mixture otherwise you will end up with scrambled egg!
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Mushroom Carbonara in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
Because of the sauce ingredients, this dish isn’t suitable for storing overnight.
Can I freeze Mushroom Carbonara?
This dish is best eaten fresh due to the consistency of the sauce. However, it only takes 45 minutes to pull together so you can still have it on the table quickly!
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Mushroom Carbonara
A tasty, creamy pasta dish with a deep mushroom flavour, ready in 45 mins. Ideal for calorie counting or slimming plans like Weight Watchers!
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
35 MINS
- KCals 466
- Carbs 59G
Instructions
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring until slightly softened and golden brown.
- Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, over a medium heat.
- Add the stock and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Simmer, uncovered, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the stock has reduced by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water for 9 - 12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- Place the eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork until broken up and evenly mixed.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese and yoghurt and season to taste.
- Tip the mushroom mixture and the egg mixture into the bowl of spaghetti and toss to combine well.
- Serve immediately, garnished with a little Parmesan cheese and chopped flat leaf parsley.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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Recipe notes
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6 comments
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StaceyTuesday 17th January 2023
Hi, can this be made without eggs?
Many thanks
HollyMonday 23rd January 2023
Hey Stacey, the eggs give the carbonara the silky sauce. You could have a look at our Summer Vegetable Spaghetti recipe which is a quark based sauce but use the flavours from the carbonara. Hope that helps!
JanaTuesday 13th July 2021
Hiya
You should update a recipe. It states vegetarian dish however in recipe you are using a chicken stock pot.
HollyWednesday 14th July 2021
Hey Jana, We have a section for each recipe on our websites to suggest swaps and any changes that need to be made for particular dietary requirements. As highlighted this recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets as long as the stock pot, Worcestershire sauce and cheese are swapped for vegetarian alternatives. Hope that helps!
JeanetteWednesday 31st March 2021
I’m working out that if I use wholewheat pasta this recipe would only be 2 points on the purple plan is that correct? Thanks 😊
HollyWednesday 31st March 2021
Hey Jeanette, have a look at THIS article which talks you through how we work out nutritional values and points for our recipes it will talk you though how to make any alterations you need to, hope that helps!
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