This healthy carbonara was unbelievably creamy. It was also absolutely loaded with fresh spinach. Amazing!
The purpose of the smoked gouda topping was to mimic the smokiness of the missing pancetta or bacon in this lighter, vegetarian version of “carbonara.” I thought is was equally delicious with and without it.
This recipe is from The New York Times, contributed by Kay Chun. I used whole wheat spaghetti and increased the garlic. It was a quick and delicious weeknight dish.
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 7-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 T unsalted butter
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach
- red-pepper flakes, to taste, optional
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan (2 1/2 ounces)
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup grated smoked Provolone or Gouda (1 1/2 ounces)
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pot and heat over low. Add the butter and onion-garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed and sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach, season with salt, plenty of pepper and red-pepper flakes, if using, and stir until spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons smoked cheese. Finish with more black pepper, if desired.
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