RECIPE: HIGHER PROTEIN CARBONARA PASTA

 

It’s time to take a trip to Italy - or as close as we can get! Join me in putting a simple spin on a classic meal that seems to be consistently demonized for its higher-than-the-sky calorie counts.

Enter: carbonara pasta. This comforting, cheesy dish is most often saved for the once-a-year restaurant trip when it can easily be fit into everyday eating. I’m excited to show you a recipe that combines higher protein cooking with extravagant-feeling flavors.

HIGHER PROTEIN CARBONARA PASTA

PREP TIME:  15 minutes || COOK TIME:  20 minutes || MAKES: 2 servings

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 112g Italian Linguine pasta

  • 3 tablespoons salt

  • 22g (2 slices) uncured hardwood smoked bacon

  • 50g grated pecorino romano cheese

  • 113g low fat (2%) cottage cheese

  • 280g chicken breast (raw) 

  • Cooking spray (can also sub butter)

  • Weber Garlic Parmesan seasoning

  • Salt/Pepper (for chicken seasoning)

NOTES:

  • You can also use Banza protein lentil linguini pasta for increased fiber + protein (macros per 100g serving of finished recipe: 19.5 P/6.5 F/12 C)

  • Freshly grating the pecorino romano cheese yields more ooey-gooey melting, but can be substituted with pre-grated cheese if needed to save on prep time.

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in salt, add in your pasta, and stir (pasta should have enough water to free-float in the pot). Cook until al dente (10-12 minutes, it should be tender but still have a bit of a bite to it). 

  2. On a separate burner, bring a pan to medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray/butter. While the pan is heating, lay chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a meat tenderizer to flatten to about ¼ inch thickness (no meat tenderizer? Cover chicken breasts in cling wrap and beat with a small pan).

  3. Add chicken to the pan, coating each side with a generous dash of salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes on each side (until the middle is no longer pink and chicken is just beginning to brown). 

  4. While the pasta and chicken are cooking, finely grate (I use a microplane zester) the pecorino romano cheese and set aside. Add cottage cheese to a blender and blend until smooth, set aside. 

  5. Set cooked chicken aside to rest (cool down) and sprinkle garlic parmesan seasoning on top (just enough to lightly coat the chicken). Add bacon to the pan, cook until desired doneness (I like crispy bacon, so about 5 minutes per side). Once cooked, chop into pieces

  6. Save 1 cup of cooked pasta water, set aside, and strain pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and turn off the burner. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan (just enough to make the pasta shiny) and stir in grated cheese and blended cottage cheese until melted and fully combined. Begin to slowly pour in pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached (it helps to thin out the melted cheese). Add chopped bacon into the pasta and cheese mixture, stirring until combined.

  7. Once the chicken has cooled slightly, chop into strips. Split the pasta between two plates and top with the garlic parmesan chicken strips.

GIVE IT A TRY:

  • If you like slightly saltier pasta, add a few shakes of salt to the finished product.

  • Add in spinach or cooked baby tomatoes to the final mixing step to sneak some veggies into this meal. A side salad also pairs beautifully with this meal!

  • Not in the mood for chicken? Try topping with ground beef/ground turkey/tofu/tempeh/extra bacon.

MACROS PER 100g SERVING: 7.5 P/5.5 F/15 C

You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching:

“KLN Recipe: Carbonara Pasta”

Find more macro-friendly recipes here or grab our free cookbook Everyday Macros here for simple and streamlined meal prep recipes and ideas.

 
Recipes + Meal PrepKimberly ZehnderJuly 2023Comment