Does anyone else find it quite tricky to eat Italian food in restaurants or at friends houses on the Low FODMAP diet? I often find that even when the restaurant or your friend has gluten free pizza bases or pasta, the sauce they use almost always contains either onion or garlic for flavour!
This whole being worried situation happened to me a little while ago when one of my Italian friends invited me round her house for a traditional but gluten free carbonara for me. I was really nervous about having it because I thought it would involve a lot of cream which is not great for people who struggle with lactose. I asked her if she wouldn’t mind putting a lot of cream in mine and she nearly bit my head off! Apparently, a traditional Italian carbonara has no cream at all. It’s only the British version that adds cream!! Who knew?!
So anyway, despite being a bit nervous about giving it a go, I was treat to the most amazing pasta dish ever! A traditional carbonara is not only amazing for anyone who is low FODMAP, but it tastes far better than the British version too (in my opinion!). I have no idea why people in this country tried to mess with an already amazing, very traditional Italian recipe!
Anyway, enough of my ranting about the traditional way versus the British way! An almost traditional (with a few changes based on Low FODMAP and what I can find in shops near me that isn’t too expensive) spaghetti carbonara has become a staple in my diet!
The recipe is incredibly simple and take about 15 minutes to make from start to finish so it’s perfect for those long days at work when you come home and can’t be bothered to cook but want something to eat that is super tasty and filling.
So on to the recipe…
Low FODMAP and gluten free “traditional” Italian spaghetti carbonara
You’ll need: (serves 1)
- 1 portion of gluten free spaghetti carbonara (based on your serving size of pasta)
- 75g bacon lardons (small cubes or finely sliced fatty bacon slices)
- 1 egg
- 30g gran Padano cheese (or any other hard cheese that you have – I sometimes even just throw in Cheddar and it still tastes amazing! Don’t tell any Italians though!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Cook your gluten free pasta according to the packet instruction
- About 5 minutes from when the pasta will be cooked, begin to fry off the bacon lardons. This should be done at a low heat as to not burn or make them super crispy.
- In a separate bowl crack an egg, grate the gran Padano (finely) and add salt and pepper. Beat together and set aside.
- Turn the heat as low as possible on the bacon pan. Add in the spaghetti and a ladle of the pasta water.
- Pour in the egg and cheese mixture and stir immediately. Keep moving the pan on and off the heat to avoid the egg cooking like scrambled eggs.
- Once the sauce has thickened after a few minutes of constant stirring, serve hot with a sprinkle of grated cheese on top and enjoy.
Thanks for reading my latest post and I hope you really enjoy making your very own low FODMAP and gluten free “traditional” Italian spaghetti carbonara! If you do give these a try, please show me your tasty creations by tagging me on Instagram using @learningtolovelowfodmap.
Have a great week,
Amy xx
Learning to Love Low FODMAP 