Protein Pasta Carbonara

A real carbonara has no cream — the sauce is egg yolk and cheese. The critical move is taking the pan off the heat before the egg goes in.

The pasta contributes 26.4 g of protein per serving (160 g dry across 2, at 33 g per 100 g). That is the pasta alone — the other ingredients are not counted, because their figures depend on the brand used.

Ingredients

• Protelle pasta — 160 g dry
• Guanciale or bacon — 120 g
• Egg yolks — 3
• Pecorino or parmesan — 60 g
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Salt

Method

1. Put the pasta on to cook in salted water — 8–10 minutes.
2. Cut the guanciale into strips and render in a dry pan until crisp, about 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl, beat the yolks with the grated cheese and plenty of pepper into a thick paste.
4. Drain the pasta, keeping 150 ml of the water. Move it into the pan with the guanciale and take the pan off the heat.
5. Loosen the egg mixture with 3–4 tbsp of the hot water, then work it quickly through the pasta. The pan should be warm but off the heat, or the egg scrambles.

The pasta for this recipe: Protelle protein pasta, 300 g. How to cook it — step by step.