# Sweet Leek Carbonara

A vegetarian take on classic carbonara, this dish features sweet leeks instead of bacon, amplified in a decadent and luxurious sauce.

- Total time: 50 min
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 2 leeks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 knob butter
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- salt
- 400 ml water
- 1 bunch spaghetti
- 1 egg
- 50 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
- black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil

## Instructions

1. Strip the leeks down the middle and wash them.
2. Finely slice the white part of the leeks.
3. Heat a pan on medium heat, add olive oil, butter, thyme, and finely sliced garlic.
4. Add the leeks and season with salt.
5. Stir the leeks, then add 400ml of water to stop frying.
6. Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid, and let it gently tick over for 40 minutes until silky and soft.
7. Salt water and cook spaghetti according to package instructions (about 10 minutes).
8. Beat the whole egg.
9. Grate 50 grams of Parmesan cheese into the beaten egg and mix.
10. Steal some starchy pasta cooking water and add a little bit to the Parmesan and egg mixture to loosen it up.
11. Drain the pasta and add it to the leeks in the pan.
12. Toss the pasta and leeks together and let the heat calm down a little bit.
13. Once the pan has cooled down a little, add the Parmesan and egg mixture.
14. Move really fast, agitating the pasta to create a creamy sauce.
15. Plate the carbonara, generously hit it with black pepper, a little Parmesan, and a kiss of extra virgin olive oil.

## Equipment

- pan
- lid

## Tips

- Use the white part of the leeks for a whiter sauce and deeper sweet flavor.
- Finely slice leeks for a delicate texture that wraps around spaghetti.
- Cook leeks slowly with water to achieve incredible sweetness and depth of flavor without color.
- Use whole eggs to avoid waste, even though traditional carbonara uses only yolks.
- Add a little starchy pasta cooking water to the egg and Parmesan mixture to loosen it and create a silky sauce.
- Let the pan cool down slightly before adding the egg and Parmesan mixture to prevent scrambling.
- Agitate the pasta quickly after adding the egg and Parmesan to create a creamy sauce.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BAXLyB8XW/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/07236468-7916-4f7f-9fc3-4254f4ee9e13
- Extracted: 2026-05-10

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt