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Pasta Carbonara (AIP)

August 15, 2020 Modified December 29, 2022 By Nicole Charles 24 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.

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This AIP pasta carbonara is deliciously creamy and savory. It’s gluten free and coconut-free, paleo and AIP compliant and comes together quickly for an easy weeknight meal that is sure to please.

two white bowls with fusili pasta and bacon bits on a grey background with a beige cloth napkin and a stainless steel fork to the left of the center bowl

I first ate pasta carbonara five years ago in a restaurant in Rome called Felice a Testaccio. Prior to that point, I wasn’t really drawn to this rich and heavy dish, but, as they say, “When in Rome!” The thing I remember most fondly about the meal is the guanciale that was perfectly crispy and crackling and gave the dish an unmistakable and absolutely amazing flavor.

I hadn’t attempted a gluten-free, let alone AIP-version of this dish until recently when I was playing around in the kitchen with some creamy, coconut-free sauces. When I tasted this sauce, I thought it would go well with bacon, and so pasta carbonara came to mind.

This AIP pasta carbonara is creamy and delicious without being heavy. And zucchini is the undetectable secret ingredient that makes this sauce creamy and coconut free.

white bowl with pasta carbonara and a fork

Here’s what you’ll need for this AIP Pasta Carbonara:

  • zucchini – the magical ingredient that is blended into a creamy sauce
  • apple cider vinegar – adds a slightly acidic taste to the dish and cuts some of the richness of the bacon
  • yellow onions and garlic – sautéed in olive oil to add a classic base of flavor to the dish
  • dried thyme, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil
  • turmeric – a pinch is all you need to give this sauce that characteristic yellow colour in lieu of egg yolks (totally optional)
  • tapioca starch – used to thicken the sauce
  • cured pork – guanciale, pancetta or bacon (ensure these are AIP-compliant – cured only with salt)
  • AIP-compliant pasta – try my AIP hand-rolled pasta or buy this AIP sweet potato/cassava pasta or cassava pasta

To make this dish, boil your pasta as per instructions and set aside. In a large skillet, sauté the onions, garlic and zucchini in olive oil with the salt and dried thyme. Once soft, add these ingredients to a high powered blender along with apple cider vinegar, water, tapioca starch and turmeric. In the same skillet, add your cured pork or bacon and sauté until crispy. Return sauce to pan on low heat, add pasta and stir consistently. The tapioca starch will cause the mixture to thicken some more. Remove from heat and serve warm. If you’ve reintroduced black pepper into your AIP diet, it’s a great and classic topping to this dish.

Vegan or vegetarian? Try subbing the pork with some sautéed portabello mushrooms!

skillet with sauteed zucchini, dried thyme, garlic, onions in olive oil

LOOKING FOR MORE AIP PASTA RECIPES? TRY:

  • Spaghetti and Meatsauce
  • AIP Hand Rolled Pasta
  • Sweet Potato Lasagna
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi
  • Easy Paleo Pasta Salad
  • Sweet Potato and Spinach Ravioli

If you try this AIP Pasta Carbonara recipe I would love it if you would give the recipe a star rating and review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious. 

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white bowl with pasta carbonara and a fork

Pasta Carbonara (AIP, paleo)


★★★★★

5 from 15 reviews

  • Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 portions 1x
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Description

This AIP pasta carbonara is deliciously creamy and savory. It’s gluten free and coconut-free, paleo and AIP compliant and comes together quickly for an easy weeknight meal that is sure to please.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup zucchini, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • pinch turmeric
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
  • 2 tsps tapioca starch 
  • 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 6–7 slices AIP-compliant bacon or guanciale, chopped into small pieces 
  • 4 oz of elbow or fusilli pasta (approximately 2 cups)

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta as per instructions and set aside in a colander.
  2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium heat. Add onions and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until they begin to turn translucent.
  3. Next, add crushed garlic, chopped zucchini, sea salt and thyme and cook 6-8 minutes or until zucchini has become soft. Once soft, add to high powered blender along with apple cider vinegar, filtered water, tapioca starch and turmeric and pulse until combined into a smooth sauce.
  4. In the same skillet, add your chopped pieces of cured pork (guanciale, pancetta or bacon) and sauté until cooked and crispy.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add sauce and pasta into the pan and stir continuously 1-2 minutes. The tapioca starch will cause the mixture to thicken some more. Remove from heat and serve warm.*

Notes

Black pepper is not AIP-elimination stage compliant. If you’ve successfully reintroduced black pepper into your AIP diet, it’s a great and classic topping to this dish.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 807
  • Sugar: 5.6g
  • Fat: 35g
  • Protein: 26.5g

Keywords: pasta carbonara, pasta, egg-free, aip, paleo, bacon, aip pasta

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @healmedelicious — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Categories: AIP, All Recipes, Coconut Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mains, Paleo, Pasta, Quick Meals Tagged With: bacon, gluten free, pasta carbonara

Previous Post: « Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Next Post: Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli with Mushrooms (AIP) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer Swisher

    January 30, 2023 at 8:08 pm

    This is amazing! Thank you for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Melissa

    October 29, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    This was absolutely wonderful and so easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Heal Me Delicious Team

      October 31, 2022 at 3:57 pm

      We’re so glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving your review.

      Reply
  3. ahs

    November 10, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    this is wonderful! I have never tried non-AIP carbonara but was looking to attend to a pasta craving. love this recipe and as other people have mentioned, the zucchini is undetectable to zucchini-skeptics. my partner doesn’t like zucchini but i grew up growing it and love all zucchini baked goods / zoodles etc. happy to get the creaminess of they provide to the sauce and generally just so happy for a comforting pasta go-to! thank you, truly!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Becca

    August 11, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    One of my go to meals. Can’t forget the hoards of bacon 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Dini

    March 4, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    You are a genius! I love that I got to eat with my whole family and cook just one meal. Even better, we all loved it and no one suspected the extra hidden veggie. Thank you!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      March 6, 2021 at 5:01 pm

      Yay Dini! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for leaving your review.

      Reply
  6. Colleen

    January 31, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    This is so delicious! My heart and stomach are so happy to have this after not being able to eat any cream-based sauces! And I love that it’s zucchini-based (brilliant). Thank you Nicole!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      January 31, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      Yay! My heart is happy for you too. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.

      Reply
  7. Emily

    January 24, 2021 at 3:37 am

    What can you replace tapioca starch with? Would an arrowroot powder work if just using for thickness?

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      January 25, 2021 at 9:46 am

      Yes that should work!

      Reply
  8. Laura

    December 17, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    This was delicious!! Can’t wait to try more of Nicole’s amazing recipes! Next up: cinnamon rolls!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Becca

    November 5, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    This was amazing! So simple but it had so much flavor. Thank you for an awesome recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Kelsey

    October 21, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    LOVE this recipe. And quote from my partner was “your protocol is delicious”
    Thankful, as others are, for a “creamy” sauce without coconut
    Thank you!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      October 21, 2020 at 10:39 pm

      Thanks so much Kelsey for taking time to write this review. I’m so glad you and your partner enjoyed!

      Reply
  11. Katerina

    September 27, 2020 at 7:03 pm

    Made this with shrimp and spaghetti squash. SO DELICIOUS!! I’m so happy to have carbonara back and guilt free!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Amanda

    August 21, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    Another fantastic recipe from Nicole! This carbonara comes together quickly, is incredibly satisfying and pure comfort food. I paired it with her sweet potato gnocchi, which I found to be the perfect pasta for this sauce. AIP + coconut-free recipe = RARE PERFECTION!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      August 22, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Thank you, Amanda <3

      Reply
    • Sam

      December 16, 2020 at 10:32 am

      This recipe was both so delicious and so satisfying! I could not believe how creamy the sauce could be with zucchini as the main ingredient (AND coconut free)!! The flavor also balanced out the bacon perfectly! Will 100% be making this again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Faith

        October 13, 2021 at 2:16 pm

        This is UN. REAL. It’s the comfort food I didn’t know I needed. When I made this I literally said, out loud, “Nichole can cook!” Ha! Thank you for making our AIP world way more tolerable, fun, and tasty. XOXO

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Nicole Charles

          October 18, 2021 at 10:02 am

          Hahaha thank you Faith!

          Reply
  13. kendra Springer

    August 18, 2020 at 12:06 am

    DELIC! First off I love a sauce with a hidden veg! And second this recipe is coconut free which is a rare find in the AIP world. Such a quick, delicious, filling dinner! ??

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      August 18, 2020 at 7:31 am

      Yay! So happy you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing Kendra!

      Reply
    • Heather

      November 10, 2020 at 10:23 am

      So simple yet so delicious. My daughter also loved it. I definitely be making this again, and again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Nicole, the recipe developer, food enthusiast and photographer behind Heal Me Delicious. Read More

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