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Monday, February 13, 2012

Lighter Carbonara

Had a craving for fettucine carbonara ... but heavy cream, parmesesan and bacon are not exactly diet-friendly.  However, I have found a way to prepare this meal and still make it tasty *and* low-fat. 

Lighter Carbonara - Serves Appx 6

6 oz. Whole Wheat Fusilli (or any other pasta)
8 slices Center-Cut Bacon, sliced thinly
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used a microplane for a fine grate)
1 Whole Egg
1/2 C Fat Free Half & Half
1 C Frozen Peas
2 Cloves Garlic, finely diced
1/2 C Finely Diced Onion (or 1 med-sized yellow onion - it's close enough)
1 C water (I reserved 1 C of the pasta water)

Chop bacon and fry in a deep frying pan or a dutch oven.  Set aside, reserving bacon grease (unless there's a lot, then remove some, only saving enough to cook the onion and garlic).

In a separate pan, boil pasta according to manufacturer's directions.  Drain and set aside (reserving 1 C of the pasta water in case your carbonara sauce is too thick).

Back in the frying pan, saute onion and cook until translucent (appx 5 minutes).  Add garlic and cook until softened.  Add peas and cook for a few minutes until they're no longer frozen.  Turn off heat.

In a bowl, combine parmesean cheese, egg and half & half. 

When the pasta is done, combine everything in the frying pan and heat through until the sauce is warmed and at the desired consistency.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories                   172                        Calories from Fat          73.0
Total Fat                  8.11 g
    Saturated Fat       3.83 g
Cholesterol              53.38 mg
Sodium                    205.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate  13.2g
     Dietary Fiber       2.13g
     Sugars                 2.13g
Protein                     11.62g

1 comment:

  1. Jennifer,
    That sound very delicious thank you for sharing.
    Therese

    ReplyDelete