Spaghetti Carbonara
This Spaghetti Carbonara is a new version of one of our first recipes! Slimming friendly, great for calorie counting and diet plans like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories516
- Carbs47g
- Protein39g
- Fat18g
- Saturates6.4g
- Sugars5.6g
Your dishes
You’re amazing, look at the Spaghetti Carbonara dishes you’ve made…
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!
Creamy, indulgent and pretty damn tasty! We’ve done a non-dairy version of this in the past, but sometimes you just *need* the creaminess that this dish should have.
When you eat this, you just won’t believe that it’s slimming friendly – we certainly didn’t even though we’d made it. It’s that good. Great quality, restaurant style food in a pinch!
If you’re bothered about eating raw egg, don’t be. The egg is going to cook whilst you stir. But you should avoid this if you’re pregnant – just in case.
If you fancy something a little bit different you could even add a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard. Just remember to adjust the calories, and Points accordingly!
What diets is this Spaghetti Carbonara suitable for?
This Spaghetti Carbonara recipe can be made gluten free by swapping out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;
- Stock cubes
- Pasta
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 Spaghetti Carbonara?
Since we made this Spaghetti Carbonara the first time around, we’ve come to the conclusion that finely chopped gammon is a much better addition than bacon medallions.
You should (in our opinion), make Spaghetti Carbonara with lardons, but gammon is a VERY close replacement, whilst keeping it light and super slimming friendly.
The other MAJOR addition to this Spaghetti Carbonara is Pecorino cheese. Pecorino is FAR superior to Parmesan and brings such a lovely salty flavour.
Hints & Tips
Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.
We don't recommend freezing this recipe as the sauce can end up splitting
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‘Restaurant quality! I'd definitely pay good money for this in a restaurant!’
How many calories is this Spaghetti Carbonara recipe?
This Spaghetti Carbonara is 516 kcal per portion. The same dish at Frankie & Benny’s clocks up a hefty 650 calories, so this is a good saving!
It falls into our Special Occasion recipe category as it’s a little over 500 calories per portion. You can find all of our other Special Occassion recipes here.
This Spaghetti Carbonara fits well into a calorie controlled diet, as well as 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
Boil the kettle – whilst you’re waiting for it to boil chop the onion, mushrooms and gammon.
Step 2
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the pack, and heat a large frying pan with a few sprays of low calorie cooking spray. Fry the onions till softened, add the mushrooms and gammon and cook until browned slightly.
Step 3
Add the vegetable stock to the frying pan, and cook on high stirring frequently until it reduces by half.
Step 4
Meanwhile in a bowl whisk the eggs, black pepper, quark and mustard (if you’re using it!) – set aside.
Step 5
Drain your pasta once it’s cooked and tip into a big bowl, add the cooked onions, mushrooms, remaining stock and gammon – stir well. Slowly add the whisked eggs, Pecorino cheese and quark making sure to stir constantly. Do NOT do this on the heat otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled egg!
Step 6
Once it’s all stirred through, add the parsley. Plate up and sprinkle with a little more Pecorino cheese. Enjoy!
What should you should serve with Spaghetti Carbonara?
What should you should serve with Spaghetti Carbonara?This recipe is a full meal on its own, but if you want to you could serve it with one of the options below:
If your’e looking to cut the calories or Points, serve half a portion of this Spaghetti Carbonara with a big green salad to fill you up!
How do you know when this Spaghetti Carbonara is cooked?
The pasta and vegetables will be soft but not soggy, and the gammon will have browned. The pasta will be coated with a creamy smooth sauce. It’s very important you add the whisked eggs, Pecorino cheese and Quark slowly and stir constantly off the heat. This will stop you ending up with any bits of scrambled egg in the dish!
This dish will take about 10 minutes over a medium heat on the hob.
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 Spaghetti Carbonara in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Spaghetti Carbonara in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can you freeze Spaghetti Carbonara?
We don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the sauce can end up splitting.
How do I reheat Spaghetti Carbonara?
It’s best to reheat Spaghetti Carbonara on the hob over a low heat until piping hot throughout. You may need to add a little water or some extra egg off the heat if it has dried out. This is a dish thats best made fresh!
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Spaghetti Carbonara
This Spaghetti Carbonara is a new version of one of our first recipes! Slimming friendly, great for calorie counting and diet plans like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
10 MINS
- KCals 516
- Carbs 47G
Instructions
- Boil the kettle - whilst you're waiting for it to boil chop the onion, mushrooms and gammon.
- Cook the pasta as per instructions on the pack, and heat a large frying pan with a few sprays of low calorie cooking spray. Fry the onions until softened, add the mushrooms & gammon and cook till browned slightly.
- Add the vegetable stock to the frying pan, and cook on high stirring frequently until it reduces by half.
- Meanwhile in a bowl whisk the eggs, black pepper, quark and mustard (if you're using it!) - set aside.
- Drain your pasta once it's cooked and tip into a big bowl, add the cooked onions, mushrooms, remaining stock and gammon - stir well. Slowly add the whisked eggs, Pecorino cheese and Quark making sure to stir constantly. Do NOT do this on the heat otherwise you'll end up with scrambled egg!
- Once it's all stirred through, add the parsley. Plate up and sprinkle with a little more Pecorino cheese. Enjoy!
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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115 comments
See what others have to say
PatsySaturday 12th August 2017
Can you use any other cheese rather than pecorino cheese? TIA x
Emma TMonday 11th September 2017
Hi Patsy,
Any hard Italian style cheese would work ????
AmyMonday 7th August 2017
THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!!! I have to say I was a bit sceptical. I looooove carbonara and I’m not a great fan of quark. But honestly this was so tasty. It was rich and creamy and amazing flavours. I’m going to make it like this every time from now on. Thank you!!
SAMANTHA UPTONSunday 23rd July 2017
Hi
Is it 300 or 600 ml stock? Thanks
KateWednesday 26th July 2017
Hi Samantha
As the recipe states it’s 300ml of Vegetable Stock
NoreenSaturday 22nd July 2017
Made this tonight and added a leftover peri peri chicken fillet I had leftover from last night. I couldn’t get Pecorino so used Parmesan. It’s delicious. 🙂
JulieThursday 6th July 2017
Hi Kate
Carbonara is my favourite spaghetti dish and this is by no way the BEST I’ve ever had. Made it tonight, used turkey rashers as I’m not a bacon fan!! Will definitely be making this again ????
KylieThursday 6th July 2017
Can this be reheated (as in batch cooked for the following days?) x
Helen JenkinsonThursday 29th June 2017
Should the gammon be smoked or unsmoked?
KateFriday 30th June 2017
Hi Helen
We tend to use unsmoked more than smoked, but you can use either really
LynneTuesday 27th June 2017
What his pecorini cheese and where do I get it x
KateFriday 30th June 2017
Hi Lynne
Pecorino is a hard cheese made from sheeps milk. It’s similar to parmesan, but it has a slightly nuttier, saltier taste. Most supermarkets will stock it
GillianTuesday 13th June 2017
Can I just double the recipe to make it for 4?
KateFriday 16th June 2017
Hi Gillian
Yes. In fact if you click the up and down arrows in the box that tells you the number of portions the recipe serves, you can then change the number of portions you require and the recipe will adjust accordingly.
JulesSunday 14th May 2017
I made this yesterday, really tasty!! A new favourite x
JadeSaturday 13th May 2017
Hi. Sorry if I sound thick but I’m doing this tonight but just reading the instructions regarding the quark and eggs An not to pour it in over heat, how will the sauce(quark and egg) get warm then if you don’t pour it in with everything else over heat?
KateTuesday 16th May 2017
Hi Jade
The heat (and any remaining boiling water) from the just cooked pasta will produce enough heat to warm up the egg and quark mixture, so the eggs won’t be raw. If you cook the egg & quark on a high heat you’ll end up with scrambled egg and the quark will split and curdle
JeanetteWednesday 26th April 2017
Thank you so much for this recipe! I didn’t take a picture purely because I made mine slightly more runny as I didn’t reduce the stock enough I’m guessing. But having said that OH MY GOD! This was just the best SW carbonara recipe ever! I wanted to drink the sauce remnants lol. Thanks again!
KateSaturday 29th April 2017
Hi Jeanette
Glad you like it
EmmaFriday 21st April 2017
Am I not reading it right? Instructions show mustard but it’s not in he ingredients. How much and what type?
KateMonday 24th April 2017
Hi Emma
The mustard isn’t part of the recipe as such, which is why it isn’t in the ingredients list, but it can be added as an optional extra. This is explained in the write up before the recipe
JanSaturday 15th April 2017
Where is recipe and method?
KateSunday 16th April 2017
Hi Jan
Keep scrolling down for the full ingredient list and method
LeeanneSunday 2nd April 2017
Hi I can’t see the recipe, can anyone help? Also do you think it’s ok for kids to eat – given the way the egg is cooked?
GlenThursday 30th March 2017
I like to add a bunch of peas to this. Every little helps with those speedies!!
SheilaThursday 23rd March 2017
Made the carbonara for hubby and I and omg it was lush! Doesn’t taste low fat at all and is really filling! I did put a teaspoon of Dijon mustard in and it gave it a good kick! Thanks PON x
KateSaturday 25th March 2017
Hi Sheila
Glad you like it! We like to put a bit of wholegrain mustard in ours sometimes for something a bit different
Hollie-Beth HornThursday 23rd March 2017
Best Carbonara I’ve ever had!
Even my fussy 7 year old loved it!
Definately making this again 🙂
KateThursday 23rd March 2017
Hi Hollie-Beth
Glad you like it
KateWednesday 15th March 2017
Hi Sarah
Fixed!! 🙂
RhiannonThursday 16th February 2017
If you cant get quark, blitz up some cottage cheese instead, it does the trick!!
Lindsay CookMonday 13th February 2017
I was looking forward to this but it was far far too peppery even for my husband who loves pepper. It did look like a lot and it really was. Might try again with at least half the pepper.
Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017
Hi Lindsay,
Everyone has different tastes when it comes to pepper ????
GemmaSunday 12th February 2017
My egg turned out like scrambled egg! Hoe do I stop this happening?
Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017
Hi Gemma,
Make sure you take the pan completely off the heat before stirring the egg through ????
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
Hi Sarah,
Not really no – as the egg thickens the sauce and binds it ????
LynzMonday 30th January 2017
Is there any risk using / eating raw egg?
Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017
Hi Lynz,
The egg is cooked with the residual heat of the pan and pasta. The recipe does advise caution particularly if you are pregnant, elderly or for children ????
BeckyMonday 30th January 2017
do you think skyr would work instead of quark (that always tends to split for me)
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
The secret is to take it off the heat and stir well – otherwise it will split. Skyr is basically the same as quark ????
NickySunday 29th January 2017
I can’t get Quark, would Philidelphia light work instead do you think?
DaniTuesday 24th January 2017
Mine came out really watery? It didn’t seem to reduce by half? Any ideas? I Chose not to use the quark but did everything else?
KateTuesday 24th January 2017
Hi Dani
You may need to simmer it for a bit longer to reduce it further. Also the quark does thicken the stock up a bit so if you don’t use it the sauce will be a bit watery
SamTuesday 17th January 2017
When adding the bacon, onion and mushrooms to the pasta does the stock go with it or is it drained?
Thank you,
Sam
KateThursday 19th January 2017
Hi Sam
The stock that remains after reducing is added to the pasta along with the bacon, mushrooms and onions
SharonThursday 28th July 2016
I would love to see the dairy free version of this please as i am alergic to cows sheep and goat dairy. X
Amy JohnsonSunday 28th August 2016
Hi Sharon – I’d say just leave out the Quark. Real Carbonara is just egg and nothing else to make it creamy anyway. It will still be delicious I promise!
SallySunday 22nd May 2016
Blimmin tasty thanks for the recipe????
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