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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

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Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara
A roasted cauliflower and mushroom pasta in a creamy egg and bacon sauce seasoned with plenty of fresh cracked pepper.

Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish consisting of egg, bacon, fresh cracked black pepper and cheese and I am a huge fan of it; it’s so quick and easy to make and so amazingly good! One of the things that I like about it is that you can easily add things, like vegetables, and I figured that it was past time to make a carbonara with my new favourite vegetable, cauliflower. Of course, I could not resist roasting the cauliflower to give it that caramelized flavour and I also brought cauliflowers best fried, mushrooms, to the roasting pan! Once the vegetables are roasted you really just need to cook the bacon (I used pancetta this time) and pasta and toss everything together! The trick to carbonara is that you want to mix the egg sauce with the hot pasta, bacon and pasta water so that the eggs ‘cook’ without scrambling, which is actually pretty easy! This roasted cauliflower and mushroom carbonara might just be my favourite carbonara yet!
Check out below the recipe for some more carbonara pasta recipes!

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara
You really can’t go wrong with a creamy egg and bacon sauce!

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara
Roasted cauliflower and mushrooms are just so addictively good!

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:40 minutes Total Time:50 minutes Servings: 4

A roasted cauliflower and mushroom pasta in a creamy egg and bacon sauce seasoned with plenty of fresh cracked pepper.

ingredients
  • 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces fettuccine (or pasta of choice) (gluten free for gluten free)
  • 4 ounces pancetta, diced or 4 ounces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
  • plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
directions
  1. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
  2. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
  3. Cook the pancetta in a pan, pour off all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan, add the garlic, cook for 30 second and turn off the heat.
  4. Mix the egg, cheese, pepper and salt and parsley in a bowl.
  5. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
  6. Mix the pasta, egg mixture, cauliflower and mushrooms into the pan with the pancetta, adding reserved pasta water as needed.
Note: To speed things up, about 20 minutes into roasting the cauliflower and mushrooms, get your pot of water for the pasta on the stove and start bringing it to a boil.
Option: Replace the parmigiano reggiano with pecorino romano.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 365, Fat 16.3g (Saturated 4.7g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 140mg, Sodium 347mg, Carbs 37.5g (Fiber 2.3g, Sugars 2.7g), Protein 19.2g
Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. NotesFromAbroad says

    March 21, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    We don't eat meat so I am always on the lookout for good non meat dishes and if it is pasta, even better ! I am making this tonight for company coming to dinner 🙂 besos !

    Reply

  15. Anonymous says

    March 21, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    This looks great – I was thinking only the other day I'd like to make a veggie friendly carbonara. While this isn't quite it with the pancetta, I can always omit this. I love roasted cauliflower – good addition! 🙂

    Reply

  19. Jodee Weiland says

    March 21, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    Kevin, I love this recipe! It looks so delicious and full of rich flavors. I definitely have to try this one soon…mmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Anonymous says

    March 24, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    One thing I am confused about is about eggs. Put raw two eggs with cheese, etc. Then put them in the pasta.. Raw eggs in the pasta?

    Reply

  30. Eileen says

    March 25, 2014 at 2:13 am

    Made this tonight..doubled the recipe for leftovers plus extra parsley, cauliflower, garlic & an extra egg (had to use the rest of my carton). Amazing! No side dish needed as the veggies were very prominent in the dish. My entire family loved it..including my 10 yr old and 8 yr old boys! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  34. Amy says

    April 6, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    I'm making this tonight, but feel like I'm going to mess up the 'salt and pepper to taste.' Is there a ballpark amount you use? Also, would dried parsley be OK? If so, I'm assuming I'd have to use a different amount…

    Reply

  35. aina says

    April 8, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    Lovely recipe. So when u mix eggs , pasta , veggies and water up do u need to cook it ? Pasta should b hot ?

    Reply

  36. kevin says

    April 11, 2014 at 4:11 am

    aina: By that time everything but the sauce has been cooked and the heat from the pan, veggies, and piping hot pasta and pasta water will 'cook' the eggs in the sauce.

    Reply

  37. kevin says

    April 11, 2014 at 4:53 am

    Amy: A pinch or so of salt should be enough or you can omit it and allow every one to use salt at the table as desired. The dish is supposed to have a peppery flavour so if you like fresh cracked black pepper go for a teaspoon or more and if not cut back. I might omit the parsley if not using fresh but you can use the dried and I would cut back to 1/4 teaspoon.

    Reply

  41. andrea says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Your picture looks so lovely! My husband and I love this dish. He hates mushrooms so i just keep them separate and add them to my dish. I add lots of garlic too. Love that there is no cream. Thank you for a wonderful dish!

    Reply

  42. Karly Kasbohm says

    May 22, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    so good and easy! My husband is relatively picky and he asked to add this to the recipe book. I used prosciutto instead and just sauteed with the garlic a few minutes. It turned out great. Thank you!

    Reply

  43. Emma R says

    May 29, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    I'd have never thought about adding vegetables to a carbonara! But mushrooms plus pasta are always a good combination – I think I'll have to try this recipe out.

    Reply

  44. Karen Barnes says

    June 5, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    So does the egg really get fully cooked with only the heat of the cooked pasta and veggies? I am not a huge fan of undercooked eggs so I just want to be sure…. 🙂 It does look good though!

    Reply

  45. kevin says

    June 5, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    Karen Barnes: The egg should 'cook' enough to make it safe but it is not guaranteed. If you are concerned then you might want to avoid this recipe. You could also replace the egg yolks with heavy/whipping cream as an alternative.

    Reply

  49. Laura says

    August 13, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    I love the way you roasted the veggies then added them. I am not a fan of adding mushrooms to liquid while cooking, they become spongy. Your way of roasting them and then adding them at the end keeps thier texture! Can't wait to make this 🙂

    Reply

  51. Hyebun says

    February 22, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    Excellent recipe. I made it last night for company. Everyone loved it. I loved that it did not have cream in it, but the egg and cheese combo made it tasted creamy. My only suggestion would be to double the mushrooms (just because I like lots). I used 8oz. of white button mushrooms & 8oz. baby portabella mushrooms. And, I added 1 cup of the water from the pasta at the end to bring it all to a creamy goodness. This recipe is a keeper. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.

    Reply

  53. Amanda Tarrant says

    August 28, 2016 at 4:45 pm

    I was thinking of using spiraled veggies instead of pasta… but after reading the steps it seems like the pasta water is necessary for the sauce (starch) and also for cooking the eggs.. what do you think, Kevin? I love all your recipes! Thanks

    Reply

  54. kevin says

    August 31, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    Amanda Tarrant: Veggie noodles would be nice but as you mentioned you would have to change some things for the sauce. Potato or sweet potato noodles would be nice for the starch and a lot of veggie noodles will release extra liquid making the sauce less thick, creamy and clingy. You could continue to cook the veggie noodles and sauce in the pan over medium-low heat while mixing to cook the eggs without scrambling them. Another option is to replace the 2 eggs with 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream and you can reduce the cream to thicken it and compensate for the extra moisture from the veggie noodles.

    Reply

  59. Laurie says

    January 29, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    Kevin- I made this last night and it was wonderful! I really liked it but more surprising- my husband did too! He's really not a picky eater but hesitates when something fixed in a "unconventional" manner. There was nothing left on his plate.

    Reply

  62. Erika says

    October 26, 2018 at 9:38 pm

    Been trying new recipes for my happy planner recipe cookbook and this one was SOOOOO GOOD!!!! My picky toddler even ate it all, veggies and everything, she loved it. I was surprised. And it was ridiculously easy, too! I actually used a 12 oz bag of frozen cauliflower florets (to save time on chopping), thawed a bit, and that worked fine, too. Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  63. Cat says

    November 13, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    I hope I can get a response this late! This has been a go-to for me but my daughter has just been diagnosed dairy free (and gf). Do you think the sauce will work if you leave off the parm? Maybe adding extra garlic?

    Reply

    • kevin says

      November 14, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Extra garlic would be good! I have not tried it but ‘nutritional yeast’ is a common substitute for parmesan cheese and it might work.

      Reply

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