Keto Carbonara (and a Store-Bought Shortcut)

Keto carbonara is one of the easiest Italian classics to make low carb, because the only carb in a real one is the pasta. Swap that for zucchini noodles and the egg, cheese, and cured pork carry the dish at about 6 grams of net carbs. Below is the authentic method, the cream-free way Romans insist on, plus the store-bought shortcut I leaned on one lazy Friday.

I cheated cooking dinner on Friday night. Yes that's right the natural low carb cooker cheated. I took the easy way out on making dinner and bought a pre-marinated pork loin, but not just any marinated pork loin a carbonara pork loin. Say what? This just looked too good to be true so I had to give it a try. I found it at Sam's Club, but I'm sure similar variations can be found in other grocery stores. This carbonara pork loin is low carb heaven. It is made by Artisan Fresh and it described as being covered in smoked bacon and parmesan/romano type cheeses. Yum! I try to cook the majority of our meals from scratch to avoid carbs that are sneekingly added to most pre-marinated or any pre-prepped food, but this pork loin is the exception. It was juicy, savory, and only 2 carbs per 4oz servings. I recommend searching this down and keeping one in your fridge/freezer for those days when you want a perfectly cooked meal without all the prep time. All you have to do is remove the pork loin from the package, place in a roasting pan, cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350°f for 25 minutes per pound or till the internal temperature equals 155°f. Doesn't get much easier than that. Your guests will love it and I hope you do as well.

Real carbonara has no cream

That pork loin borrows the flavors, but it is worth knowing what real carbonara is, because the keto version is closer to the original than most restaurant ones. Authentic Roman carbonara is exactly five ingredients: guanciale (cured pork cheek), eggs, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and pasta. No cream. Romans consider cream the cardinal sin of carbonara, and they are right, since the silky sauce comes entirely from an emulsion of egg, melted cheese, and a little starchy water. Once you know that, the dish stops being a heavy cream sauce and becomes a light one you can build over vegetables.

How to make keto carbonara over zoodles

To make it low carb, the pasta becomes zucchini noodles. Crisp some chopped guanciale or bacon in a pan and render the fat. In a bowl, beat two eggs with a good handful of grated pecorino and plenty of black pepper. Salt the zucchini noodles and pat them dry so they do not weep into the sauce, then warm them through in the pork fat. Now the one move that makes or breaks it: take the pan off the heat, whisk a tablespoon of warm water into the egg and cheese to loosen it, and toss it through the hot noodles off the burner. The residual heat sets the egg into a glossy, creamy sauce in about thirty seconds. Leave it on the flame and you get scrambled egg instead. Two safety notes: the egg only sets from residual heat, so anyone pregnant or with a weak immune system should use pasteurized eggs, and if you cook pork, the USDA mark is 145 degrees F with a rest.

Or take the shortcut

Some nights you do not want to temper an egg, and that is where the carbonara pork loin earns its place. It puts the same smoky-cheesy flavor on the table with nothing but an oven. When you want the real thing, build the zoodle version above; when you want easy, roast the loin. Either way it is a pasta-night craving handled, and it is one of the swaps in my low carb pasta substitutes guide. For another Italian zoodle dinner, see my zucchini noodle bolognese, and a handful of parmesan crisps on the side never hurts.

Sources

GialloZafferano and Recipes from Italy, authentic Roman carbonara method.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, safe temperatures for pork and eggs.

Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb pasta notes.