Crispy store bought cauliflower gnocchi in a dreamy carbonara sauce – perfect for carb(onara) loading, yet keeping it light and low carb.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: comfort, dinner, low carb
Servings: 2
Ingredients
2largeegg yolksat room temp
1/4cupfinely grated parmesanplus extra to finish
1/4tspfreshly ground pepperor to taste
3ozpancettacut into cubes
1packagecaulflower gnocchifrozen
Instructions
Whisk together the egg yolks, parmesan, and pepper in a large bowl and set aside. It will be a very thick paste.
Bring a very small pot of water to boil over high heat and add 1 cauliflower gnocchi. Let simmer over medium low heat – we want the water to be starchy to help the carbonara sauce thicken.
Crisp the pancetta a large sauté pan, over medium heat, stirring, until the fat renders and the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a small bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Add the gnocchi, frozen from the bag, to the hot rendered fat and fry until very lightly golden brown and crispy, flipping once, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of the hot gnocchi water into the bowl with the eggs and cheese. Whisk until smooth. Add the reserved gnocchi and toss immediately, until all the gnocchi are coated and the cheese starts to melt.
Add the gnocchi along with the sauce, back into the pan over low heat and loosen the sauce with more cauliflower water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time until saucy and glossy.
Top the gnocchi with the pancetta and an extra dusting of parmesan. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
You can sub bacon if you like, it’ll just have a smokier, different flavor than carbonara. Use 2-4 strips, chopped.