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Keto Spaghetti Carbonara
This Keto spaghetti carbonara recipe can be prepared in a jiffy, making it the perfect option for stressy weeknights.
What is Carbonara Sauce?
Carbonara is made with egg yolks, garlic, black pepper, bacon, and some kind of hard cheese. Sometimes heavy cream is added too.
The cheese of choice is usually pecorino romano, although Parmesan can also be used.
Alfredo sauce, while similar, leans on butter and heavy cream, making it a very rich proposition. And it doesn’t have the ham going for it.
Where Did Carbonara Sauce Come From?
There are a number of theories swirling about on the origin of carbonara. The name is Italian for charcoal burner, leading some to believe that the dish was first prepared for hungry miners.
Interestingly, the black pepper in the dish has been compared to flecks of coal dust.
Others believe the recipe took hold during World War II when food shortages prompted Italians to fashion something out of powdered eggs and bacon.
Regardless of where it actually came from, I’m sure most of us agree that it is delicious!
Keeping It Keto
If you frequent this site much, you’re probably aware that I’m not a big fan of eating dairy. It actually has nothing to do with Keto; in fact, most dairy is high-fat and low-carb.
So why no dairy? You may not be lactose intolerant, but you can still be sensitive to dairy. It could be causing you all sorts of problems you haven’t even connected to dairy.
While you don’t have to be dairy-free on Keto, I use substitutes for dairy in these recipes to make it easier for those who choose to avoid it.
For this spaghetti carbonara, I use coconut cream instead of heavy cream. It will give you the right texture and doesn’t taste overly tropical.
You’ll get plenty of flavor from the other ingredients (hello garlic!) so you don’t need cheese in this version. If you’d like to include cheese, you certainly could.
The major hurdle to make this dish Keto is the noodles. There are a lot of options here, but I think zucchini noodles work well with this sauce.
Spiralize your own zucchini, or buy packaged “zoodles” at the store. Either way, be sure to get as much water out of the noodles as you can so they don’t waterlog your sauce.
More Dairy-Free Recipes
If you’re on board with dairy-free Keto, or just want to give it a shot for a few weeks, check out this post with tons of tasty dairy-free dishes.
Or you can create your own recipes by using these handy swaps for dairy ingredients. Let me know if you come up with something good!
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Description
This simple classic is a quick and delicious meal for any day of the week.
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis, made into noodles
- 1/4 lb (110 g) bacon or ham or pancetta, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) coconut cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Beat the eggs, dash of black pepper, and coconut cream together.
- Add the olive oil to a frying pan and add in the bacon or ham. Saute until browned on the outside. Then add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add zucchini noodles to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then add in the egg and coconut cream mixture to the pan, stirring well so that the eggs don’t get scrambled.
- Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley on top.
Notes
All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.
Net Carbs: 5 g
Nutrition
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fat: 41 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 13 g
Prep Time:
Yield:
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