This 20 minutes Lighter Spaghetti Carbonara recipe includes a reduce-fat sour cream and skim milk which helps lighten the calories on this creamy usually glutenous pasta dinner.
Would you hate me if you knew that I ate my first bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara last year in Europe? Yep totally true. I think the whole egg thing has thrown me off all these years, and thus kept me far, far away from the egg based pasta. But while on vacation I tend to get a little more adventurous. I was craving creamy pasta and I gave it a try… and what do you know? I loved it, and then proceeded to gorge myself until I had a stomach ache (which by the way I don’t recommend that).
I was inspired to make a lighter version of spaghetti carbonara at home. I was craving comfort food. I had a busy day at the office and all I wanted to do was eat a quick comforting dinner and then veg on the couch (which lets get real I rarely ever veg on the couch. I typically get my second wind after dinner and start working on blog stuff until the wee-hours of the morning).
So on that sluggish evening (this happened be right after I made tons of homemade spaghetti) I knew I wanted to make pasta but I didn’t know what. I typically make my go-to Shrimp Scampi recipe, but on this particular night I did something I haven’t done in a while… I opened a cookbook! gasp! I find myself opening cookbooks less and less and going straight to the internet. And then, of course, once I open the cookbook I tend to get lost in it for hours just as I would the internet. That’s when I flipped to this glorious recipe. This was also around Easter time when I had leftover Slow Cooker Ham. Might I add, that I never have ham in the refrigerator, so I felt that this recipe was destine to be cooked. I will tell you that Spaghetti Carbonara is not as scary as it might seem… even if you aren’t a fan of egg yolks–its creamy and comforting and brought me right back to Italy!
Pasta Recipes
Here are a few more of my favorite pasta recipes.
- Baked Shrimp Parmesan with Pasta
- Creamy Spaghetti Primavera
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Greek Shrimp Pasta for Two
- One Pot Creamy Vegetable Spaghetti Primavera
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Lighter Spaghetti Carbonara
Equipment
- Stove Top
Ingredients
- 8 oz Spaghetti
- 1 cup chopped cooked ham
- ⅓ cup Parmesan
- ¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
- ¼ cup skim milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
- ¼ cup chives diced
Instructions
- Cook fresh spaghetti according to box instructions or al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set to the side.
- In a large bowl, combine the grated Parmesan, sour cream, skim milk, salt, and lightly beaten eggs. Set to the side.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced ham and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan and stir well.
- Add the reserved pasta water to the egg cream mixture–whisking vigorously. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir until incorporated. Cook for 5 minutes. You'll want the sauce to thicken–make sure it does not boil. Stir in ground black pepper and fresh chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Prep all of your ingredients ahead time as this is a quick cooking recipe.
- Substitute for chopped prosciutto or even bacon for ham for an extra decadent carbonara! Just note that the calories per serving will change!
Nutrition
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
Aggie
This looks so delicious Katie. Carbonara reminds me of my grandparents, they always made it when I was a kid. It’s been way to long since I’ve had it.
Katie
Awe very cool Aggie… you should try making the lighter version for your family and start a new tradition!
Nutmeg Nanny
Oh, this looks perfect 🙂 I love spaghetti carbonara, I’d love to try this recipe.
Deneen
Yum one of my favorites. I am so excited to follow on this blog too!
Katie
Thanks Deneen! I’m happy you stopped by!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
This sounds so good!!! And I actually have bacon in the house! (Wish I had ham..)
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
I’m so glad you posted this because I love carbonara, but I never order it because I know how heavy it is. This version looks so rich!
Katie
Stephanie–definitely give this a try!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Ahh, carbonara is one of my fav pasta dishes. I think its the silkiness of it 🙂
Katie
That very well could be it, Gerry! Love it!
Ashley
Love a lightened up version of something so yummy. Just means I get to eat more! 🙂 Looks super yummy!
Lauren@ Climbing Grier Mountain
OMG! This is totally genius! I definitely could use a big bowl of this right now!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
Yum, this is some great comfort food! Love that you lightened it up a bit!
Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)
This was my go-to cheap food in college. SO easy to make, pretty inexpensive, keeps well, and is DELICIOUS. My roommates thought I was uber-gourmet but in reality it was too simple.
Katie
Love it Ashley!!!!
addie | culicurious
Looks delicious! I’ve actually only made carbonara once, but I did enjoy it. 🙂
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite
I was thrown off by the runny egg too. I tried it and fell in love with the dish. This just makes it better because it is lighter.
Katie
Thanks Maegan! I agree– with the egg part. Not scared any more!
Cassie | Bake Your Day
Love the sound of this, Katie! I’m a fan of carbonara but rarely make it because it’s not so healthy. I love your lighter twist!
Paula@SweetPea
This looks great! I make a light version with turkey bacon but yours sounds even better with ham.
Katie
I like the idea with Turkey bacon… if you try it let me know how it works out!
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats
So you are one step ahead of me…I still haven’t tried it, but now I’m going to have to especially since this is lightened up!
Katie
Oh Julie–I’m glad I’m not alone! 😉
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
Carbonara is the best! And I can’t believe you had it for the first time last year! The egg thing is a weird but it’s totally worth it!
Love this lightened up version – I may just have to make this for dinner tonight.
Katie
I know Chung-Ah I’m crazy!!! What was I thinking waiting this long in my life to try it!