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Fakeaway recipe

Slimming World Pasta Carbonara

By Jenny Updated

Fakeaway Prep: 5 mins Cook: 15 mins Serves 2
Traditional pasta carbonara is made with eggs, parmesan, and a generous amount of pasta water, no cream is required in the authentic Italian version. This Slimming World twist uses fat-free fromage frais in addition to eggs to create an even silkier sauce while keeping the syn count to just 2 per serving. The syns come from a small amount of parmesan beyond the HEx allocation, which contributes the essential sharp, nutty flavour that makes carbonara taste right. Pasta is free, lean bacon is free, eggs are free, and the result is a restaurant-quality creamy pasta dish that you can eat on a weeknight without a second thought about your syn budget.

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 200g dried spaghetti or linguine
  • 4 rashers, fat trimmed, cut into lardons lean back bacon
  • 2, plus 2 extra yolks large eggs
  • 100g fat-free fromage frais
  • 20g, finely grated parmesan cheese (HExA) (Use 20g as part of HExA, free; additional parmesan is approx 2 syns per 10g)
  • 1, crushed garlic clove
  • generous amount, key to carbonara black pepper
  • for pasta water salt
  • 6 sprays Frylight cooking spray

Method

  1. 1

    Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of well-salted boiling water according to packet instructions. Before draining, reserve a large mug of the starchy pasta cooking water, this is essential for the sauce.

  2. 2

    While the pasta cooks, spray a frying pan with Frylight and cook the bacon lardons over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes until crispy. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

  3. 3

    In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, fat-free fromage frais, and grated parmesan. Season generously with black pepper.

  4. 4

    Drain the pasta (reserving the pasta water) and immediately add it to the pan with the bacon. The pan should be off the heat completely.

  5. 5

    Pour the egg and fromage frais mixture over the pasta and toss vigorously, the residual heat from the pasta will cook the eggs gently into a creamy sauce. Add pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce to a silky, coating consistency.

  6. 6

    Continue tossing for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is creamy and coats every strand of pasta. Do not return the pan to the heat or the eggs will scramble.

  7. 7

    Divide between two bowls, add an extra grind of black pepper, and serve immediately.

Tips & swaps

Working off the heat is absolutely critical, carbonara should never be reheated or returned to a hot hob. The starchy pasta water is what transforms the egg mixture into a silky emulsified sauce rather than scrambled egg; add it gradually, tossing constantly. This dish is best eaten immediately, carbonara does not keep or reheat well.

FAQs

How many syns is Slimming World carbonara?

This recipe is approximately 2 syns per serving for two people. The syns come from a small amount of parmesan beyond the standard Healthy Extra A portion. Parmesan is around 4 syns per 30g, so using it sparingly and within your HEx allocation keeps the syn cost very low. The fat-free fromage frais, lean bacon, eggs, and pasta are all free. Using 20g of parmesan as your HExA means just the additional flavouring parmesan beyond that costs syns.

Can I make this carbonara completely syn-free?

Yes, if you use all 30g of your parmesan within your Healthy Extra A allowance and do not add any beyond that, the carbonara becomes completely syn-free. The HExA amount of parmesan provides a good base flavour, especially when combined with the fat-free fromage frais. You could also replace the parmesan entirely with reduced-fat cheddar as your HExA, it is less authentically Italian but makes a completely syn-free, still creamy carbonara.

Why does Slimming World carbonara use fromage frais instead of cream?

Traditional carbonara contains no cream, it is made purely from eggs, parmesan, and pasta water. The addition of fat-free fromage frais in this recipe is a Slimming World adaptation that creates an even silkier sauce while keeping the dish nearly syn-free. Double cream is approximately 9 syns per 100ml, which would make a creamy carbonara very syn-heavy. Fat-free fromage frais is free on Slimming World and mimics the creamy texture of a richer sauce without any syn cost.

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