Healthier spaghetti carbonara with parma ham
- Published: 16 Feb 17
- Updated: 19 Jun 24
Carbonara is traditionally made with cured pork cheek or lardons, both of which are very high in fat. By using parma ham and dry-frying it, you still get that crisp saltiness without loading up on calories.
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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 20 min
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Ingredients
- 8 slices parma ham
- 400g dried spaghetti
- 2 British free-range eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 40g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- Chopped fresh parsley to serve
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Method
- Dry-fry the parma ham in a frying pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, turning, until crisp. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Cook the spaghetti in a pan of salted water according to the pack instructions until al dente (just firm to the bite). Meanwhile, beat the eggs and yolk with the garlic and parmesan in a large bowl.
- Drain the spaghetti, reserving 3 tbsp of the cooking water. Return the spaghetti to the pan it was cooked in, then add the egg and cheese mixture, and the reserved cooking water. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the spaghetti is coated in the sauce.
- Crumble the parma ham into shards, then add to the pasta with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve sprinkled with extra parmesan and the parsley.
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- Recipe from January 2017 Issue
Nutrition
Nutrition: per serving
- Calories
- 500kcals
- Fat
- 11.3g (4.2g saturated)
- Protein
- 26.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 72.3g (2.1g sugars)
- Fibre
- 5g
- Salt
- 1.3g
delicious. tips
Next time swap parma ham for ribbons of smoked salmon and stir into the pasta before serving.
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