The vegetarian asparagus carbonara is a simple and tasty dish that combines the tradition of the famous Roman recipe with a fresh, spring touch. The asparagus, the main ingredient of this variant, adds a delicate flavor and a touch of color to the dish, making it ideal for a light dinner or a refined lunch.
This vegetarian version, without guanciale, is prepared with ingredients that enhance the flavor of the asparagus, such as pecorino cheese and a generous amount of black pepper. The creaminess of the sauce, made with egg yolks and pecorino, will envelop the pasta, creating a perfect combination with the goodness of green asparagus. If you are looking for other vegetarian dishes, try pasta with ricotta and walnuts, spaghetti with zucchini cream and walnuts, ricotta and spinach bundles or creamy risotto pasta.
Let’s get to work and prepare the asparagus carbonara together.
OTHER VEGETARIAN MAIN DISHES
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients for Asparagus Carbonara
- 14 oz green asparagus
- 11 oz rigatoni
- 5 egg yolks
- 1.75 oz Parmesan cheese
- 1.75 oz Pecorino cheese
- to taste salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Tools
This post contains affiliate links
- Pan
- Peeler
Steps for Preparing Asparagus Carbonara
Clean the asparagus. Remove the woodiest part by breaking the lower part of each asparagus. Wash well, and do not discard, the toughest part. Put it in a pot with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the stems and cook the pasta.
Clean the asparagus by removing the woodiest part with a peeler and cut them into rings, keeping the tips whole. Sauté them in a pan with oil, salt, and a ladle of pasta cooking water.
In a bowl, mix the yolks (from either very fresh eggs or pasteurized bottled ones) with Parmesan, Pecorino, lots of pepper, and a ladle of pasta cooking water.
Drain the pasta al dente. Toss the pasta off the heat with the yolks and asparagus. Serve immediately with plenty of black pepper.
Storage
The pasta should be consumed as soon as it’s prepared.
