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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Barilla. All opinions and recipes are my own.
It’s National #CarbonaraDay on April 6th and I’m celebrating it with Barilla! I’ve never actually had real carbonara since it traditionally has pancetta in it, but I love this simple vegetarian, spring-y version of carbonara that I made with fresh corn, leeks, and Barilla Protein+ Spaghetti, which is a good source of protein with 10g of protein per 2 oz serving! The pasta is also vegan and is made with wheat and proteins from lentils, chickpeas, and peas.
For my vegetarian version of carbonara, I wanted to make it spring/summer-forward by using leeks and fresh corn! The sweetness of the corn really plays well with the savory leeks and salty parmesan.
We all love a cozy bowl of pasta so make a bowl of my vegetarian carbonara for your family to show you care– you can even call it #CAREbonara. Join Barilla in showing how much you care by sharing a comforting plate of Carbonara with the ones you love this Carbonara Day! You can find all the ingredients you need for this recipe here.
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Vegetarian Carbonara
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Creamy rich vegetarian carbonara made with leeks, onions, and Barilla Protein+ pasta.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Barilla Protein + Spaghetti (or other Barilla long cuts like their Collezione Spaghetti or Blue Box Thick Spaghetti)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp half and half
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup (172 g) fresh corn kernels
- 1 (197 g) leek, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 oz parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Whisk the egg and half and half in a small cup and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove ¼ cup of corn for garnish. Add leeks, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add this mixture to a blender along with ¾ cup of the pasta water. Blend until smooth. Slowly stream in the egg mixture and blend until the sauce is smooth. Add parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper and blend until well combined.
- Add cooked pasta and sauce to a large bowl and mix until the pasta is well coated. Garnish with corn, chopped basil and additional black pepper and parmesan.
Notes
You could make this recipe vegan by removing the egg and using a ¼ cup of dairy-free milk.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian, American
