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This recipe for lemony courgette carbonara is the freshest, easiest pasta. So delicious, so speedy and takes just 6 ingredients to make the sauce. Toss in pasta and you’re done. I love the lightness of it whilst still feeling indulgent and creamy.
It takes 15 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight option, and it is vegetarian. The creamy aspect comes from the eggs and pecorino, making this almost like a carbonara but definitely not a traditional one. But the principle of the sauce is the same. So yummy and perfect for any time of year but especially spring and summer when courgettes are at their best.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It takes very few ingredients to make a filling and delicious bowl of pasta.
- The recipe takes 20 minutes start to finish so you can have this on the table quickly.
- It’s creamy and rich without the addition of cream. The creaminess comes from the eggs beaten with the pecorino.
Ingredients
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Courgettes – slicing these with a julienne peeler makes long thin noodles that twirl around the fork with the linguine.
Pecorino – pecorino is a sheep’s cheese that is similar to parmesan. Although it’s a little more funky and has a more intense flavour.
Eggs – instead of using cream, this courgette carbonara uses eggs beaten with cheese and some pasta water to create a silky sauce. It makes it much less heavy and rich than using cream.
Linguine – use whatever shape you like but this silky sauce and long thin courgette strips do lend work well with a long shape so linguine is great
Lemon – adds a needed freshness to the otherwise creamy sauce. It also is a great flavour pairing with courgette.
Basil – I love the pop of greenery in this recipe and the basil complements the chese and the lemon perfectly in this courgette carbonara.
Garlic – the garlic works really well with lemony flavour in this creamy pasta
Substitutions and Variations
Pecorino – use parmesan if that is what you have on hand. Any hard Italian cheese should work. If making for vegetarians, make sure you check the label on the packaging.
Linguine – use whatever shape you like. I find a long pasta is delicious here as the sauce is so smooth and silky but any shape will work.
Make it spicy – add a pinch of chilli flakes or fresh chilli when frying the garlic to add a good level of heat to your pasta.
Vegetables – this courgette carbonara would also be very good with some chopped asparagus or a handful of baby spinach. Add it in at the same time or in place of the courgette.
Add bacon – adding crispy bacon would be really good. Fry the bacon then add the garlic and courgette to the pan as the recipe states. Otherwise, this is a delicious vegetarian recipe.
Herbs – swap the basil for parsley or chives if that’s your preference. It would also be good with mint too since mint, lemon and courgette are a lovely pairing.
Here’s how to make Courgette Carbonara
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Julienne the courgette using a julienne peeler. See FAQs if you don’t have one.
TWO: In a pan over medium heat, sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Get a large pot of salted water on to boil and add the linguine when boiling.
THREE: Then add courgette and cook for 2-3 mins more until soft but not coloured. Makes sure to season well.
FOUR: In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add most of the cheese, reserving about a handful. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water to egg mix and mix well. Once cooked, add the basil and pasta to the courgettes in the pan. Toss it all together and then turn off the heat.
FIVE: Pour in the egg mixture and give it a really good stir. Add more pasta cooking water to form a sauce and it will thicken slightly.
SIX: Add the remaining cheese, basil and lemon zest and give it a final toss.
Scoop into plates and serve with a little more cheese and a few basil leaves for garnish.
Cooking Tips
Storing basil: To make your basil last, trim the stems and place them in a cup with around 1-2cm of water in the bottom. Cover the basil in the cup with a sandwich bag and seal the edges around the cup. Leave at room temperature and it will last a good week!
Pasta water: get into the habit of saving the pasta water when you drain your pasta. In this recipe, the starchy pasta water is a key ingredient to make the sauce silky and smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a julienne peeler, quarter the courgette lengthways and use a normal vegetable peeler to create ribbons of courgette. If you have a spiraliser, that would also work.
As the eggs are raw and mixed with hot pasta, you can risk scrambling them if you’re not careful and then you lose the silky sauce. To ensure this doesn’t happen, firstly, adding a ladle of pasta water to the egg mixture brings up the temperature of the eggs so that they aren’t cold when they hit the hot pasta which creates more chance of scrambling. Secondly, I remove the pan from the heat and then add the egg mixture, beating well, which means that the pan isn’t as hot to risk scrambling.
This pasta is best fresh but if needed, transfer to an airtight container for 3 days and keep in the fridge.
Add to a pan over medium heat with a knob of butter. Stir frequently, tossing together until it’s smooth and creamy again. Otherwise, the microwave for 1-2 minutes is a good option but it won’t be as luscious and creamy again.
No, I don’t recommend freezing as the pasta will change texture when defrosted.
Other pasta recipes you might enjoy
Try my Spicy Nduja Pasta, Caramelised Onion & Brown Butter Pasta or my Chicken and Vodka Pasta if you liked this courgette carbonara. For a similar recipe, try my Creamy Lemon Pasta (no courgettes).
Chicken Recipes
Lemon Chicken Orzo
Easy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Pasta
Easy Dinner Recipes
Chickpea Pasta
Easy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
Lemony Courgette Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 large courgette, sliced into thin noodles with a julienne peeler
- 200 g linguine
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1/2 large bunch basil, finely sliced, keep any smaller leaves to garnish
- 80 g pecorino
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 lemon, zest, or use more to taste
- 2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, sauté garlic for 30 seconds, then add courgette and cook for 2-3 mins more until soft but not coloured. Makes sure to season well.
- Get a large pot of salted water on to boil and add the linguine when boiling. Cook until al dente. You want it to still have quite a bit of bite to it when you remove it from the water as it will finish cooking in the sauce. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add most of the cheese, reserving about a handful. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water to egg mix and mix well.
- Once cooked, add the pasta to the courgettes in the pan. Toss it all together and then turn off the heat. Pour in the egg mixture and give it a really good stir. Add more pasta cooking water to form a sauce and it will thicken slightly. Add the remaining cheese, basil and lemon zest and give it a final toss.
- Scoop into plates and serve with a little more cheese and a few basil leaves for garnish.
