Spaghetti Carbonara with Roasted Tomato Salad
This version of the all-time favourite spaghetti carbonara makes use of low-fat dairy products and dry-cured ham instead of bacon to make a healthier dish with no compromise on flavour. To complete the meal, serve with a roasted tomato salad.
350 g spaghetti
8 slices prosciutto, about 100 g in total, trimmed of visible fat
3 eggs
1⁄3 cup reduced-fat cream
4 tablespoons reduced-fat ricotta cheese
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pepper to taste
Roasted Tomato Salad
450 g cherry tomatoes or baby Italian tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
8 large sprigs fresh basil, shredded
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salad greens, such as oakleaf lettuce, arugula, baby spinach
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1⁄2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small bulb fennel, halved and thinly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). To make the roasted tomato salad, place the tomatoes in a shallow ovenproof dish, cut-side up. Sprinkle with the garlic and basil. Season with pepper and drizzle the olive oil over. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Mix the salad greens in a serving dish. Add the onion, cucumber and fennel. When the tomatoes are done, spoon them, with all their hot juices, over the greens.
- While the tomatoes are still roasting, cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 10–12 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until al dente.
- Meanwhile, dry-fry the slices of prosciutto in a very hot, heavy-based frying pan for 2–3 minutes or until just crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel, then crumble or snip into small pieces. Set aside. Beat the eggs with the cream, then mix in the ricotta, half of the Parmesan cheese and a little pepper.
- Drain the spaghetti. Return the empty pan to the heat and pour in the egg mixture. Heat for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly, then put the drained spaghetti back into the pan. Toss the spaghetti with the creamy egg to coat the strands with the mixture. The heat of the pan and the hot pasta will lightly set the eggs to make a creamy carbonara sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan cheese and the prosciutto, and accompanied by the roasted tomato salad.
cooking time 15 mins
serves 4
PER SERVING
501 calories
25 g protein
18 g total fat
8 g saturated fat
203 mg cholesterol
59 g total carbohydrate
9 g sugars
9 g fibre
704 mg sodium
Pasta, when cooked al dente, scores healthily low on the Glycemic Index, which means that it breaks down slowly into glucose in the body, providing long-lasting energy. Serving an interesting salad as a major part of a meal is a good way to avoid over-indulging in fatty foods.
