The eggless carbonara or fake carbonara pasta is a simple, quick, and delicious first course, a version without eggs, of one of the most beloved and well-known Italian dishes. With this recipe, I absolutely do not want to touch the original and traditional recipe (which you can find HERE), but I just want to provide an alternative for those who would like to eat carbonara but cannot eat eggs because they are intolerant or maybe pregnant; therefore, they cannot consume raw or undercooked eggs. The eggless carbonara is super flavorful and incredibly creamy, with a sauce very similar to the classic recipe. I simply replaced the eggs with ricotta and added saffron for a nice color. You prepare it while the pasta cooks, and I guarantee it’s out of this world. When I was pregnant, I made it often, even in a slightly lighter version by replacing guanciale with speck or prosciutto, try it and then let me know, it’s truly delicious!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 1/3 cups ricotta
- 5 oz guanciale
- 1 3/4 oz pecorino romano
- 2 packets saffron
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Steps
The fake eggless carbonara is very simple and quick to prepare. First, cut the guanciale into strips about 1/2 inch thick and sauté it in a pan over high heat for a few minutes until it is well browned. Set it aside, and keep the melted fat.
In a cup, place the ricotta, grated pecorino, saffron dissolved in a little pasta cooking water, the guanciale fat, a bit of black pepper, and blend everything with an immersion blender to obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream.
Cook the pasta, drain it al dente, and place it in the pan where you browned the guanciale. Add the fake carbocream, a bit of toasted guanciale, and mix all the ingredients well away from the heat.
Plate the fake eggless carbonara, adding the remaining browned guanciale on top.
Tips:
For the eggless carbonara, I used cow’s milk ricotta, which is milder than sheep’s milk ricotta. However, if you prefer stronger flavors, that’s absolutely fine. You can replace it with robiola or classic spreadable cheese. For a lactose-free version, use a lactose-free ricotta or similar cheese.
Other pasta dishes with ricotta HERE
