A Healthier Carbonara

For the last five and half months, I've allegedly been on a cholesterol lowering diet.  I say allegedly, but I probably should say that for the last five and half month, I was supposed to be on a cholesterol lowering diet.  For the most part, I eat fairly healthy.  However, I do have a love affair with foods like bacon, eggs and butter.  And red meat.  I'll find out in a couple of weeks how much trouble I'm really in.

But, I really do need to start taking this seriously, even if the risks are more long than short term for me.  So last night I decided to make spaghetti carbonara.  I know, I know, just hear me out... I took a basic carbonara recipe, and transformed it to a heart healthy recipe. 

And it was really pretty good!  I'd even go so far as to say damn good.  It was also pretty easy to make.  All it took was a few swaps and one splurge.  Here are both the original and my altered recipes:

Original Recipe	Wannabe Foodie Recipe
·        3 large eggs ·        1.5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup) ·        1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese ·        3 cloves garlic, minced ·        8 oz. bacon (8 slices), chopped fine ·        1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ·        1/2 cup dry white wine ·        Salt ·        1 lb. spaghetti ·        Pepper	·        3/4 cup Egg Beaters ·        1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ·        3 cloves garlic, minced ·        6 oz. Canadian bacon, chopped fine ·        1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ·        1/2 cup dry white wine ·        Salt ·        1 lb whole wheat spaghetti ·        Pepper ·        2/3 cup frozen peas ·        2 T chopped fresh basil

In a nutshell, I swapped out real eggs for Egg Beaters (eliminating the fat and cholesterol), skipped the Pecorino Romano in favor of a high quality parm, used Canadian bacon instead of regular (tastes more like ham, but so much more lean and healthy, sad but true), gave up the white pasta in favor of a fiber reach whole wheat pasta, and added peas and basil.  The peas and basil were added for color, for the most part.  Without that nice splash of vibrant green, the dish would have lacked some visual appeal.  Very bland looking indeed. 

As far as preparing the dish... I sautéed the Canadian bacon in the olive oil until it crisped up and then added the wine, which I let simmer for 3-5 minutes.  The eggs, cheese, and garlic were whisked together.  Once the pasta was cooked, I immediately added both the bacon and egg mixture to the hot pasta, along with the frozen peas (that I let defrost a little on the counter while everything else was being prepped).  Season as you wish with the salt and pepper.

The hot pasta heats the peas and cooks the eggs (which are pasteurized, so they are totally safe if they don't cook thoroughly.  But they do, so stop worrying).  You should also make sure to reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water in case the sauce is too thick and needs to be loosened up a bit.  Then, top the pasta with some more cheese and the chopped basil and serve immediately.

You see why I needed to add the peas?  Trust me, it was good!

And there you have it.  A yummy, creamy, heart healthy version of a dish that would formerly kill you.  (But don't tell my doctors that I served it with garlic bread that was not at all good for me.)