Carbonara is a gorgeous, timeless Italian pasta dish that has become a household staple for countless families. While carbonara traditionally relies on just four essential ingredients – pasta, bacon, parmesan, and eggs – there are clever ways to enhance its nutritional value and sneak in plenty of hidden vegetables, according to Tesco's Development Chef Ollie Pedrick.
To promote Tesco's healthier eating campaign for families and children, Ollie has revealed his 20-minute secret veg carbonara recipe, with two crucial tweaks to the classic.
Two Simple Swaps for a Healthier Carbonara
The first modification is swapping regular spaghetti for wholewheat spaghetti, as "this is a great way of adding fibre into those everyday weekday meals." Wholewheat pasta proves a superior choice, thanks to its elevated fibre content – this helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, supports gut health, and reduces the risk of various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.
The second alteration Ollie introduces to the recipe involves adding Tesco Mediterranean-style roasting vegetables. The chef suggests frying off the vegetables first to "elevate them slightly."
Sneaky Veggie Trick for Kids
Ollie noted: "For kids, when they see vegetables in their food, immediately before even tasting it, they're put off by it. That's why this recipe is a great alternative." To ensure the frozen vegetables go undetected in the carbonara, Ollie recommends blitzing them before stirring them into the pasta sauce.
Blending veggies into any pasta sauce is a brilliantly sneaky way to boost your veggie intake at every meal. It's also the ideal solution for getting children to consume more greens without them ever being any the wiser.
Ollie pointed out that frozen vegetables offer fantastic convenience, cutting down on preparation time at home while also reducing food waste.
This carbonara recipe requires just five ingredients, serves a family of four, and comes in at only 492 calories per portion.
Ingredients
- 300g of wholewheat spaghetti
- 700g of Mediterranean-style roasting vegetables
- Four reduced-fat and salt-smoked bacon medallions, cut into chunks
- Four eggs
- 50g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Method
Begin by cooking the pasta following the pack instructions. Drain and set aside a large mug of the cooking water, then return the spaghetti to the saucepan.
In the meantime, fry the vegetables for around eight to 10 minutes in a large nonstick pan, stirring every so often. Transfer to a blender and blitz with a splash of the reserved pasta water until largely smooth. Toss the bacon into the vegetable pan and fry for four to five minutes until it turns crispy. Combine the majority of the bacon with the cooked pasta, together with the vegetables.
Beat the eggs with the Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper, and another dash of the cooking water. Fold the egg mixture through the spaghetti, stirring continuously to ensure everything is well combined.
The residual heat from the sauce and pasta should be sufficient to cook the egg and coat the spaghetti in a wonderfully smooth, silky sauce. Dish up with additional Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and a generous grind of black pepper.
