A pasta dinner is one of the best types of dinners! One that's 30-minutes and dairy-free, AND healthy!? Sign me up! This Dairy-Free Carbonara is so easy to make and is a great alternative to the heavier version.
What's In Authentic Carbonara?
Authentic Carbonara pasta has a few, however, simple ingredients.
- Pasta
- Egg
- Pasta Water
- Salt and Pepper
- Bacon or Pancetta
- Parmesan
For this recipe, we are lightening it up and veering away from this authentic version. We'll keep the egg because that's what makes our creamy sauce!
However we'll make a few swaps to make it light and healthy. Bacon or pancetta is common in an authentic carbonara, but we're using turkey bacon.
And instead of parmesan, we are using nutritional yeast! It's a great substitute and you won't even miss it.
Dairy-Free Carbonara Pasta
So the normal carbonara pasta has a creamy sauce and it's not usually from cream or milk...
It's from egg! Tempered eggs are what make the creamy sauce. It's healthy and extra protein all in your bowl of pasta! You simply whisk it with the warm pasta water to "cook" the eggs.
The next thing we are adding is nutritional yeast. This tastes a lot like parmesan cheese and keeps this 100 percent dairy-free. A little bit of nutritional yeast mixed with lemon is a super close match to parmesan cheese!
How To Temper Eggs Properly
So the reason you temper eggs first is because when you add them to the hot pan of pasta and bacon, we don't want them to scramble!
By whisking them with hot pasta water it slowly brings them up to a temperature where they are safe to eat and when tossed with the pasta, it creates a dreamy creamy sauce!
What's In Dairy-Free Carbonara
Now that we've established what's in authentic carbonara, these are the ingredients for this healthy dairy- free carbonara!
- 16 oz pasta
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- nutritional yeast
- peas
- turkey bacon
- pasta water
- lemon juice
What To Serve With Pasta Carbonara
Pasta carbonara is a great main dish to serve with salads and veggies! You could even serve with a side of grilled chicken or fish.
Salads like my Peach Prosciutto Salad, Brussels Sprout Caesar salad, or Apple Gorgonzola Salad.
Healthy Dairy-Free Carbonara
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- large pot
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta I used gluten-free spaghetti!
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup peas
- 5 slices of turkey bacon
- 1.5 cups pasta water
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Boil your pasta according to the package and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large skillet, cook your bacon until crispy. About 5 minutes.
- Remove the bacon and chop.
- In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk.
- Slowly add the pasta water and whisk to combine.
- Add the pasta and bacon back to the skillet and pour the sauce over them. Stir well to coat the pasta.
- Stir in peas and enjoy!