This zucchini carbonara recipe blends pasta, zucchini noodles, eggs, and crispy bacon with an easy, off-heat technique to ensure a creamy sauce every time. It’s a light & fresh twist on classic carbonara.
In this post, I taught you how to make creamy pasta carbonara following my master recipe. Here, we’re using the same method, same process, with the addition of julienned zucchini to elevate the taste. Paired with thin squared-spaghetti, this dish is light, fresh and naturally creamy (I don’t use heavy cream at all).
My zucchini carbonara serves to 2-4 people depending on how hungry you are, and comes together in 30 minutes or less. Pay close attention to my step-by-step instructions to master the sauce- no scrambled eggs! I’ll also share my favorite tool for creating thin, delicate zucchini noodles without a fancy spiralizer. The chives are a subtle, yet powerful addition to this dish.
Why This Recipe Works
- More yolks, less whites. I’ve found that a 2:1 ratio (egg yolks: egg whites) is the perfect balance of richness and structure.
- Blend of cheeses. I love using a 50/50 combination of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese for best flavor. The former is very salty; the Parmesan balances it out.
- Off-heat sauce. Tempering the eggs with hot pasta cooking water creates a naturally silky sauce without having to cook it further.
How To Make It {Step-By-Step Recipe}
Below, you’ll find my visual step-by-step instructions with tested notes and tips. For a printable version of this recipe, scroll to the end.
Notes, Tips & Expectations
- Toss your sauce. 💪🏻 While carbonara sauce is made by tempering eggs, cheese and bacon drippings with starchy pasta cooking water off-heat, it’s further emulsified by tossing the pasta and sauce together until it thickens. Do this with purpose! I use these tongs.
- My favorite julienne peeler. This hand-held tool creates perfect strips of zucchini. It’s great for salad prep too. Use it for carrots, yellow squash, cucumbers etc.
- Use room temperature eggs. I cannot stress how important this is. The sauce will emulsify more cohesively. To do so (fast): plunge cold eggs into a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.
- Use a microplane. The cheese will melt effortlessly into the sauce. I use this microplane.
- Bacon? Or Guanciale? Most home cooks use bacon for carbonara. But traditionally, it’s made with guanciale, a salt-cured Italian pork cheek with spices. It’s richer and fattier than bacon. However, bacon is easier to find.
To start: cook the bacon until crispy and golden brown. See that pot above? I used a 5-quart braiser- its high sides work well for tossing pasta with ease. Once the bacon is cooked, set the pot aside (you’ll need it later) and pour the drippings into a large bowl. Add the eggs, cheeses and some black pepper; mix well. It will look like thick yellow paste.
TIP: The amount of bacon drippings rendered will vary depending on the brand of bacon used- about 1/4 cup total is good.
Now, you’ll need to work fast. When the pasta is ready, do not drain. Drag the pasta directly into the egg mixture bowl with some of the hot pasta water still clinging to the spaghetti strands. Toss, toss, toss like your life depends on it, adding handfuls of julienned zucchini as you go. The heat will gently wilt the zucchini.
Once everything is nicely coated, pour it back into your braiser pot. Keep tossing. Is the sauce too thick? Add a splash of pasta water to loosen it up. Too thin? Keep tossing until it continues to thicken. Add the cooked bacon and minced chives. Taste, and season with salt and pepper to finish.
TIP: Carbonara sauce will seize and thicken quickly when served on cold plates. As a workaround, gently warm your plates in the oven prior to serving.
Photography & Styling by Saltwater Studio.
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Homemade Zucchini Carbonara With Crispy Bacon
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This creamy, zucchini carbonara recipe is made with pasta, zucchini noodles, eggs, cheese and crispy bacon with an easy, off-heat technique to ensure a perfect silky sauce every time. Room temperature eggs are a must to create a silky, cohesive sauce. If you don’t have Pecorino cheese, all Parmesan can be used instead. You’ll need a julienne peeler for the zucchini. I use this one.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) squared spaghetti (e.g., Rummo brand No. 221)
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 4 oz (85 g) thick-cut bacon (e.g., True Story Heritage Breed)
- 1 large whole egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (40 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup (40 g) freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 medium zucchini, julienned with a hand-peeler
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp. chopped chives, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions; do not drain. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to emulsify the carbonara sauce. You won’t need all of it.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces, about 1/4-inch.
- Pour the olive oil into a 5 qt. enamel braiser or a large, high sided sauté pan. Add the bacon. Sauté until golden and crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Remove the pan from the heat; pour the bacon drippings into a large mixing bowl. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the whole egg, egg yolks, and the grated cheeses to the bowl. Mix until a smooth paste forms. Add a few grinds of black pepper.
- When the pasta is ready, transfer with tongs to the egg mixture bowl allowing some of the cooking water to cling to the pasta strands. Toss immediately to coat the pasta. Now, you need to work fast: add the julienned zucchini (one handful at a time) while vigorously tossing to coat. The zucchini will begin to wilt from the residual heat releasing a bit of moisture into the bowl.
- Once everything is nicely coated, pour the entire mixture back into the braiser pot (off heat) and keep tossing. The mixture will continue to thicken. Toss! Toss! Toss! Note: If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water (about 1 tbsp. at a time) to loosen the sauce. The texture should look creamy but not too thick.
- Taste and season with salt and a pepper, if needed. Add the cooked bacon and the chives.
- To serve, portion the pasta onto warm plates. Top with extra black pepper and chives. Serve immediately.
Comments
Sabrina says
I made this and loved it. So smart to just add the zucchini raw. It was subtle but still added a nice touch to the dish and I’m always trying to find a way to use a zucchini in the summer. My 10 year old ate it too, and I wasn’t going to tell her there was zucchini in it, but she saw it and said, yeah I know, but it’s still good.
Shri Chyawan Ayurved says
Absolutely loved this fresh twist on a classic! The combination of spaghetti and zucchini noodles made it feel light yet satisfying, and your off-heat technique worked perfectly – the sauce was silky and smooth with no scrambled eggs in sight. The crispy bacon added just the right amount of indulgence, and the chives brought everything together beautifully. This one’s a keeper, Emilie – thank you for such a thoughtful and approachable recipe!