Ina Garten's 'Lighter' Carbonara Is the Perfect Spring Meal & She Has a Trick for Easy Cleanup

As we sit on the precipice of summer, we’ve found ourselves dreaming of (and already stocking up on) chilled watermelon slices by the pool, and fruity cocktails as we lay out. But before we dive right into summer BBQs and grilled cocktails, now is the perfect time to indulge in more savory, carb-loaded meals. And we found just the one, pulled straight from the pages of Ina Garten‘s cookbook, Modern Comfort Food.

“Spaghetti carbonara is classic Italian comfort food, but like so much comfort food it’s often incredibly rich,” Garten writes. ” I made my carbonara a little lighter by adding lots of fresh seasonal green vegetables. “

As the name of the dish suggests, this isn’t your average carbonara. Instead, Garten combined the rich pasta dish with light, green veggies.

For Garten’s green carbonara, you’ll need to pick up spaghetti, pancetta, Parmesan cheese, scallions, fresh chives, and lemon, in addition to the aforementioned veggies.

To start, you’ll boil the pasta, remove one cup of the pasta water, then add the green veggies. Separately, you’ll brown the pancetta; and as that cooks, you’ll heat up a bowl with hot tap water. Once warm, dump the bowl, and then fill with and whisk together cream, eggs, and the reserved pasta water. Then immediately add the hot pasta and veggies. Add more reserved pasta water to keep the sauce creamy. Combine the rest of the ingredients, including the cheese, scallions, chives, lemon, and pancetta — and serve!

We love that Garten uses the same pot to cook the pasta and the veggies. Such easy clean up!

Get the full Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara recipe at Barefoot Contessa. And for more delicious recipes like this, do yourself a favor and pick up Garten’s cookbook.

Before you go, check out Ina Garten’s easy weeknight dinner recipes below: