Spaghetti Carbonara with Lemon Zest

After a long recipe hiatus, I have a string of them to share with you, beginning with spaghetti carbonara, seasoned with lemon zest. My Italian friend, Danila, taught me this recipe, and I didn’t realise until later that spaghetti carbonara is usually made with cream. This version is lighter. And – I need not add – delicious.

This is my first post after I revealed what my French nutritionist has me eating (and which makes it easy to shed pounds). So I’ll tell you how this recipe fits into that plan, if you’re interested. If you want to read the post about the nutrition plan, you can click here. This recipe fits the lunch portion, not the dinner of that meal plan.

These are the ingredients you’ll need. If you’re making this gluten-free, apart from the correct spaghetti, you’ll need to check that the bacon is certified gluten-free. (My brand is). This recipe is for one serving, but you can double or triple it as needed. I made enough for 3 people so the quantity shows that.

To get 150 grams of cooked pasta, you need about 70 grams uncooked, which you’ll want to double-check once it’s cooked. I salted the water and not the finished dish, but the parmesan and bacon are both salty too.

While the water is boiling, fry up some bacon. I used 200 grams for the three of us – about 65 grams per person.

You need one egg per serving, and the egg plus the bacon equal the protein portion.

Take the zest from one lemon. By the time I was done zesting, it was a lot – like, a quarter cup pressed down. But it was the perfect amount for 3 servings. You can take less – really this is something you can do according to taste, even starting small and adding more if you think it needs it.

I beat the eggs for my triple portion and added the lemon zest. I also sprinkled in some white pepper – not even 1/8 teaspoon for one portion – and some dried chives (1/4 teaspoon for one portion).

For the dairy portion of the meal, I used 30 grams of parmesan.

When the pasta is cooked according to the directions on the package, stir in a teaspoon of olive oil per portion. This – combined with the grease from the bacon, which you should blot out with a paper towel – equals one fat/oil portion. The salad dressing was another.

While the pasta is still hot, mix in the egg / zest / spice mixture and let the hot pasta cook the egg. I think Danila made it with egg yolks, but I always make it with the whole egg. For one thing, it’s easier and less potential waste; for another, there’s more egg to coat the pasta. Stir in the bacon and parmesan, and mix thoroughly.

I forgot to take a picture of the Parmesan, but I grated it fresh. You’d be surprised at how much 30 grams of grated cheese is.

Serve with a salad that has more than just lettuce because the vegetable portion won’t be substantial enough with just lettuce.

Not to sound like a promo piece for a dieting fad, but it’s just unbelievable that you can eat this way and still lose weight. But it still seems to be working. 🙂 As long as I don’t talk about it too much and just DO it.

Then top your meal off with a fruit portion. Or a scoop of sorbet. My friend Emma was visiting so we had both. She introduced me to my all-time favourite author, Georgette Heyer, and is my go-to person for Regency romance. She also gives me feedback on my plots.

And brings me fresh figs! I couldn’t resist the figs she brought, so we had a double dessert, along with a double espresso.

But life is for the living, n’est ce pas?

Does this look like something you would try? Have you ever made spaghetti carbonara this way?

If you’d like to see more recipes, click here for my recipe page!

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