Vegetarian ‘Carbonara’ With Spinach
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1cup finely chopped onion
- 5cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1pound spaghetti
- Salt and pepper
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1pound fresh baby spinach
- Red-pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- ¾cup grated Parmesan (2½ ounces)
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½cup grated smoked Provolone or Gouda (1½ ounces)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
719 calories; 25 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 95 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 746 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pot and heat over low. Add the butter and onion-garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed and sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt, plenty of pepper and red-pepper flakes, if using, and stir until spinach is wilted. Stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons smoked cheese. Finish with more black pepper, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
kirby
Smoked sun-dried tomatoes are a good substitute for the bacon found in the traditional version.
KathyMS
Very tasty but I made a few adjustments, which worked better for me. I added the spinach to the onion garlic mixture at the last minute before adding to the pasta, which helped it wilt better for me. Also, I added sliced baby portobellos because, well, I just love mushrooms with pasta. Overall, I was surprised as to how tasty this was with minimal spices added to it.
leslie
make it vegan by using yummy nutritional yeast....vegan butter....some soy for umami....dairy free half and half ......soy milk powder.....who needs parmesan and cream....v tasty indeed....no eggs or dairy.....
Allie
This is probably counter to the spirit of this recipe, but I added two fried eggs along with the wilting spinach and thought it was an excellent decision. It’s also important to use very large pot, or else you’ll end up with spinach overflowing everywhere like I did!
Patressa Kearns
I love this dish! I made it exactly as written the first time, which I usually do. It's very satisfying and rich if you follow the directions. No, 2 cups of pasta water is NOT too much; you'll need and use it all. No, a full pound of fresh spinach is NOT too much; it cooks down to perfection. The traditional carbonara probably got its name from the fact that the copious black pepper in the dish looks like flakes of coal dust. This dish has that, too. Just make it and enjoy it!
Peggy
Also want to say congratulations on the recognition! The NYT What to Cook This Week is my favorite email:-). I love experimenting and trying new ways of cooking familiar dishes. Thank you!
EmilyTheBakingNewb
In order for this to be a truly vegetarian dish be sure your Parmesan (and any other cheeses) are not made with animal rennet.
toni
why leave out the egg? With the egg, it would still be vegetarian but not vegan. Without the egg, it's vegetarian but not vegan (butter and cheese)?
Dan
Baby arugula for the spinach is a nice substitution. Love this style of "white sauce" pasta dishes!
Sharon
This dish is only good if it's hot, so warm the plates in an oven and hold off on cooking until everyone is ready to eat. Otherwise, great dish and there will be no left overs.
Mario Bernardis
I added diced mushrooms and small cherry tomatoes (cut its half) to the first step. And with the lemon juice I added some lemon zest. It was delicious.
Charlotte Adamis
I would have modified the spinach - less! It takes way too long to wilt all that spinach (a lb is an enormous amount!) and the pasta was cold by the time it was ready. Possibly, I would even wilt the spinach in a separate pan (use the onion/garlic pan) and wilt it in advance. But the flavors were delicious and a nice, healthy alternative to the carnivorous version!
judith
Not a very interesting dish....lots of noodles and not a lot of flavor.
Peggy
It sounds like a deconstructed spinach pesto. A handful of toasted chopped nuts would add more protein. I have arugula. Would that work?
Karen
Watch out; I haven’t made this yet but a favorite nyt pasta combo used only 1/4 cup pasta water.
Meghan
This definitely has the potential to be bland. We added an anchovy. Agree with the commenter who added white wine and would try this next time. Would probably make again and add some more flavour enhancers.
Evan
I think it’s a great idea to sauté with spinach with the onion and garlic! Takes a lot of effort to wilt it with the pasta. But overall, the pasta is delicious.
Kiki
This was delicious thanks to my fellow subscribers! Used arugula and basil instead of spinach, added sun dried tomatoes and roasted pine nuts and finished with 3 eggs whipped with pasta water pecorino. This was a wonderful weekday veggie dish!
Kiki
This was delicious thanks to the notes from my fellow subscribers! Used arugula and basil instead of spinach added sun dried tomatoes and roasted pine nuts. Used 3 eggs blended with pasta water and finished with pecorino 😋
sharon
I thought this was very basic and I used a LOT of cheese. Wouldn’t make it again.
Peter
I've made this a few times now. It's a really delicious dish. As others have said, it's not a carbonara, but whatever, it's very good. I made it as written, except I'm not a fan of smoked cheese so I used a good Fontina. Very nice.
My notes
Still tastes great without the onion if you are sensitive to them.
Sarah
I cut out the parm and added a bunch of nooch because we are cutting back on cheese (kept the butter, though), doubled the lemon juice, and also added some diced tomatoes that we needed to use up - so good!
Lee Norris--more notes
used 1/4 lb. pasta and a full bunch of spinach--enough for two people or two meals for one. Delicious!
SledDog
Mae this twice now. The first time exactly as written, and i liked it very much. Tonight I replaced the spinach with asparagus and some mushrooms, since it's May and I have a ton of Asparagus from the garden. It was just as good. I agree that it's not really a Carbonara, but it is a very nice dish. I used about half as much pasta in both cases
Matt
Loved the Recipe. But perhaps edit the steps as I am in college, saw a 20 minute meal, :) completed step one for 10 minutes only to realize that during that time I need to cook the pasta. : (
indrani777
This is a good pasta dish, but calling it carbonara is a bit silly.
lizardblizzard
Great recipe as-is, however, tonight I made it with the “traditional” carbonara egg/parmesan sauce (added egg/cheese/pasta water to the pasta immediately after draining). Once I was happy with the consistency, I proceeded with the recipe and added the spinach (which I also increased to 18oz). Perfect!
Jennie Phipps
I followed the recipe -- except I cut the pasta in half. I still didn't think it was very flavorful, so before I served it, I threw in some shrimp and vegetarian sausage. My husband covered it with Crystal and said it was good. Me, I still found it bland.
Pat
I've made this recipe a number of times as written, and other times added crisp crumbled bacon as topping instead of the smoked cheese. All are delicious!
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