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zoodle carbonara

Keto Carbonara with Zucchini Noodles

Jenni Cole
Quick and delicious 30-minute keto carbonara with zucchini noodles and bacon will become one of your new favorite low carb pasta substitutes.
4.88 from 8 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Course Keto Recipes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 614 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lb bacon
  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cup Heavy whipping cream
  • ¾ cup shredded Romano or parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup butter cut into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 ½-2 lb zucchini spiralized

Instructions
 

Prep the Ingredients

  • Spiralize the zucchini or buy zoodles ready to go from the grocery store. Remember, if you are using frozen to have them thawed completely and drain as much of the excess liquid as you can.
  • Fry the bacon until crisp, crumble into small pieces and set aside, keeping warm. And yes, for this recipe, I do recommend frying the bacon rather than cooking it in the oven.
  • In a bowl, beat the shredded cheese, heavy cream, butter, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. 
  • Heat the sauce over medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer, stirring periodically, and then turn it to low. You'll want to start cooking the zoodles in another pan while you wait for the sauce to slowly heat. 

Cook the Zoodles

  • Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • If you are using a nonstick skillet, you can reduce the olive oil to 1 tablespoon.
  • Cook your zucchini noodles in the pan for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently.
  • Cooking for 4-minutes will make an “al Dente” zucchini noodles that are still slightly crisp and is bright in a green shade. Cooking for 5-minutes will make a softer zucchini noodle and the green zucchini color starts to fade. Both options taste delicious, it’s just a matter of personal preference.
  •  Drain the zoodles and put them back into the warm pan and turn off the heat.
  • ***NOTE: Zucchini is about 90% water and without draining, makes for a pretty runny sauce once your actual sauce gets added later on.

Finish the Sauce

  • Give the cheese sauce another stir and take it off the heat. Slowly stir in a whisked egg and then add the cheese sauce mixture while the zoodles are still hot. 
  • The hot sauce partially cooks the eggs, you don't want to add the eggs earlier than this since it can turn your smooth whisked egg into scrambled egg.
  • Top your zucchini carbonara with the crumbled bacon, more parmesan cheese, and even a bit of parsley. Serve on warm plates or in a warm serving bowl.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Because we used zoodles instead of pasta, the sauce won't be as thick compared to the traditional version since the starch in pasta breaks down when it's hot and helps thicken the sauce--and zucchini doesn't have starch. Zoodles are also very wet, so draining the zoodles is super important--the goal here is to have the low carb carbonara sauce turn out creamy and not watery. 
  • If you're concerned about the partially cooked eggs, you can omit it and just serve this with creamy alfredo sauce.
  • Prep the ingredients beforehand since this recipe comes together quickly
  • Try with pancetta (easily found at your deli counter) instead of bacon.
  • Include additional protein by including either chicken, shrimp, or ham.
  • Make a double batch and save half for lunches during the week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 614kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 31gFat: 61gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 200mgSodium: 1906mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7g
Keyword bacon, chicken, keto, low carb, zoodles
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