Giada De Laurentiis’ Veggie-Version of Carbonara Only Has 5 Ingredients & So Much Flavor

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Carbonara is one of those dishes that even vegetarians drool over. It’s creamy, salty, and loaded with black pepper and crispy guanciale (which can be replaced with pancetta or, if you’re in a pinch, bacon). Giada De Laurentiis just put a vegetarian spin on the classic Italian pasta dish that doesn’t hold back on the creaminess and still packs a punch without any meat involved.

On Feb 17, De Laurentiis shared a scrumptious photo of her easy-to-follow pasta recipe to her foodie page @thegiadzy with the caption, “This vegetarian version of Carbonara still has a depth of flavor thanks to the browning of the zucchini before adding it to the pasta. And of course, it has all the rich, creamy goodness you look for in a carbonara!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0HSkDv4DO/

A post shared by Giadzy (@thegiadzy)

And what’s even better is that the dish comes together in just about 15 to 20 minutes and only uses five ingredients: garlic, zucchini, basil, eggs, and pasta, to name a few.

This dish can be made with or without Pecorino Romano cheese, depending on your vegetarian status. However, eggs are a must — they are the key to that creamy sauce. In the video, De Laurentiis shows how to properly temper the eggs using pasta water before they hit the pan so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs in your pasta.

And the key to getting that rich carbonara flavor is letting your zucchini get a bit crispy. The brown spots on the zucchini slices mimic the crispy guanciale bits of the traditional dish. So be patient, and let your zucchini do its thing.

This veggie carbonara is a great way to use up the remaining zucchini you grew in your garden this summer, and could also be a tasty base for more vegetarian pasta dishes. Add tomato or mushroom, for example, to get totally different flavors.