Eggs and pasta? It might sound a bit unusual, but spaghetti carbonara is a classic Italian dish (its origins are in Rome) that leverages simple ingredients to create something amazingly delicious. Classic carbonara combines eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper in with pasta; here, we’ve upped the healthy-factor with the addition of zucchini and peas for a splash of green. The key to nailing this recipe is to stir in the eggs at the very end of the cooking process and to stir the mixture quickly, so that instead of becoming scrambled eggs, they turn into a silky, glossy sauce.
Ham and Zucchini Carbonara
| Prep Time |
Cook Time |
Total Time |
| 20 min |
6 min |
26 min |
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 ounces sliced deli ham, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, cut it 1/4-inch-thick half moons
- 1 cup frozen peas
Method
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain.
- Whisk Parmesan, eggs and pepper together in medium bowl until combined.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high. Add ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in zucchini and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add spaghetti and reserved pasta water.
- Quickly stir in egg mixture and peas until well coated. Top with Parmesan and serve.
