Comfort Food Makeover: Healthier Pasta Carbonara

Hooray for Pasta Carbonara. We all love it. It is sinfully delicious and oh so decadent. The original version can also be a scale buster. Not anymore! Here is an updated version that won’t break your daily calorie goal. The ingredients maybe some things you have never tried, and if that is the case, then I challenge you to give it a try! You will be pleasantly surprised.

HEALTHIER PASTA CARBONARA

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Comfort food made healthier! This pasta Carbonara is made with healthy cauliflower sauce. Bacon, green onions and Parmesan perfect the meal.
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Ingredients
•    ½ pound pasta
•    6 slices bacon, diced
•    1½ cups Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce – Recipe below
•    ¼ cup sliced green onion
•    grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions
1.    Cook the pasta according to directions.
2.    In a large frying pan cook the bacon dices until crispy. Drain most of the bacon grease, but leave some for flavor.
3.    Add the Cauliflower sauce to the pan until heated through. Stir in cooked pasta and green onions.
4.    Serve pasta hot and sprinkle with more green onions and grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
5.    When heating leftovers you might need to add a little more sauce or water to moisten.

HEALTHIER CARBONARA ALFREDO SAUCE

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: Makes about 3 cups of sauce
This creamy Alfredo sauce is made from cauliflower and uses only a little butter and milk. Caramelized onion and garlic give the sauce a heavenly flavor.
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Ingredients
•    1 medium head of cauliflower (~ 1 lb/450 g)
•    1 large yellow onion
•    2 cloves garlic
•    1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil)
•    5 cups (1.2 L) vegetable or chicken broth
•    ¾ cup (175 ml) milk (or almond milk)
•    ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
1.    Cut the onion and garlic into thin slices. Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat, add onion slices and garlic and saute covered on low until the onions are golden and caramelized (about 20 minutes).
2.    Bring vegetable or chicken broth to a boil. Cut the cauliflower into florets and cook in broth until tender (7-10 minutes). Reserve ½ cup of broth, drain the rest.
3.    Place the tender cauliflower into a blender or food processor together with the caramelized onions, garlic, ½ cup of broth, milk and salt. Puree until smooth.
4.    Store the sauce in a container with a lid (like a mason jar) and place in the fridge, if not using right away.
5.    Depending on the size of you blender, you can also double the recipe.

**Notes
To make this sauce entirely dairy-free coconut oil can be used in place of butter and almond milk instead of dairy milk. I have tried this dairy-free version with good results.

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