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The creamiest easy Zucchini Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata. The perfect bowl of summertime pasta. Just like classic carbonara, this pasta has a creamy Italian carbonara sauce. But I made some adaptions by adding shredded zucchini, crispy prosciutto, and burrata cheese. The zucchini helps to create an even creamier, buttery carbonara sauce. This simple zucchini carbonara is a great way to use up the garden zucchini. Plus, everyone in the house will enjoy this dish, veggies and all!
Sometimes all you need on a summer night is a bowl of creamy summer pasta. Our summer has been rainy, making some of our nights dark and cozy. They almost remind me of fall (which will be here before we know it). On these cozier nights, with the rain pouring down on the roof, I’m often left craving something warmer.
Sometimes I’ll make creamy polenta, or we’ll do a good homemade pan-style pizza. But most of the time, I make a quick summer pasta.
Pasta never disappoints! And this zucchini carbonara has been on repeat in my kitchen all summer long. It’s simple to make and so delicious – everybody loves it.
Some carbonara details
Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta consisting of a sauce made from raw eggs. Now before you let that freak you out, the eggs do get cooked.
The key is to toss the eggs with the steaming hot pasta. Tossing the raw eggs with hot pasta and plenty of parmesan cheese creates a delicious sauce. The heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and produces the silkiest, smoothest, and creamiest pasta sauce.
My carbonara is a little un-traditional in that I like to use prosciutto in place of pancetta. I also almost always add herbs and burrata cheese. Yum!
Here’s how to make this carbonara
You’ll need prosciutto, eggs, parmesan, pecorino cheese, garlic, herbs, pasta, and burrata cheese. And then of course the zucchini.
First, pull out all of your ingredients and bring them to room temp. The key to a good carbonara is to serve it right after tossing. So having everything prepped and ready to go before cooking is key.
Start with the prosciutto. I prefer to bake the prosciutto in the oven as it’s hands-off. It also ensures the prosciutto gets evenly cooked and is crispy all around.
While the prosciutto is cooking, shred the zucchini and place it in a colander.
To make the sauce, whisk the eggs with parmesan, pecorino, garlic, and whatever herbs you have on hand. I like to use a mix of basil and thyme, but whatever you have will be great.
Boil the pasta, then drain it over the zucchini, the pasta water will start warming the zucchini. Once drained, immediately toss the pasta and zucchini with the eggs. This step is really important, but don’t worry it’s also really easy. Just be sure to toss, toss, toss for a good minute until the sauce thickens.
Lastly, serve this dish topped with torn burrata cheese and that extra crispy prosciutto. Oh, black pepper on top is always delicious too.
This is meant to be on the creamy/almost soupy side, with lots and lots of creamy sauce. The pasta will soak up the sauce if it sits too long, so be sure to enjoy it right away.
A good way to get in your vegetables and use up all the zucchini you have. And well, that’s that, told ya this is simple!
Looking for other pasta recipes? Here are some favorites:
One Pot Melty Burrata Lemon Pesto Pasta
Creamy Penne Alfredo with Spicy Arugula
One Pot Spicy Alla Vodka Pizza Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Zucchini Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 424 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 ounces prosciutto, torn
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 zucchini, or yellow summer squash, grated or cut into thin strands
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- chili flakes
- 3/4 pound spaghetti
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces burrata or ricotta, at room temperature
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the prosciutto in an even layer. Add the garlic and toss with olive oil. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the prosciutto is crisp and the garlic roasted. 2. Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander. Toss with a tiny pinch of salt.3. whisk together the eggs, parmesan, pecorino, basil, thyme, chili flakes, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente. Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain directly over the zucchini. This will heat the zucchini. 5. Immediately add the hot pasta to the egg/cheese mixture, tossing quickly (to ensure the eggs do not scramble) until the eggs thicken and create a sauce. Thin the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches your desired consistency. Be careful when adding the water, the zucchini will naturally release some water into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.6. Serve topped with freshly torn burrata, prosciutto, and herbs. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on August 4, 2022
Made this for dinner tonight. OMG! So delicious!! I added some roasted cherry tomatoes for added flavor but everything else was the same. SO GOOD!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I’m so glad you loved it! The cherry tomatoes definitely add a lot of flavor! Have a great weekend! 🙂 xT
What garlic do we add to step 3?
Hi Amanda! So sorry for the confusion, I’ve fixed the recipe to show where the garlic is added, it’s just in Step 1 🙂 xT
OK, first generation Italian here – this was absolutely delicious! That’s it, delicious!
Hey Irene,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! Xx
This was good but not great. I felt weird about not cooking the egg and relying on the hot noodles to cook them.
Hi Zoe,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
I’m reading the directions but I don’t see when or how the zucchini is added! Can you clarify?
Hi Danielle,
The zucchini is tossed in salt in step 2 and then tossed with the pasta in step 3. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Well, my husband and I made this with a few substitutions and it was a hit!!!!! Thanks for your advice! Can’t wait to make this again!
Thanks so much, Danielle!!
Hi! We really enjoyed the flavor of this recipe, but the directions were really unclear and hard to follow. We don’t think that it turned out exactly right. Would love for the directions to be re-worked a bit so we can make this dish again!
Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! Can you tell me what specifically in the instructions is unclear? Let me know how I can help! xx
So delicious …a perfect “date night” recipe (we’ve been married 37 years).
Hey Paula,
Happy Sunday! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
I came across this recipe after eating carbonara for the first time at a restaurant and wanted to recreate it. This was DELICIOUS. Simple, and flavorful. I crisped cubed pancetta from Trader Joe’s with a diced red onion, instead of the prosciutto step to align more with the restaurant dish and it was perfection! The chili flakes are everything too. Thank you HBH!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
Hi Tieghan! Do you use the roasted garlic that was on the pan with the prosciutto in the egg mixture?
In the end the recipe tasted pretty good, but the steps were super confusing to follow. Wouldn’t recommend if you’re more of a novice cook.
Hey Maddie! I’m so sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know! xT
how did you shred the zucchini into such nice threads?
Hi! I used a cheese grater to grate it! xT
By the time I was finished and garnished with the crispy prosciutto and creamy burrata it looked and tasted like a restaurant quality dish. Fabulous simple summer dinner!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! I’m so glad you loved it! xT
Hi, I don’t like prosciutto, is there a substitute I could use? Thank you so much!
Hi there! you could use bacon or maybe some italian sausage! xT
My husband and I made this for dinner tonight. I was happy to have a helping hand. I would probably omit any extra salt due to our prosciutto being salty enough on our side of the world. We loved how easy the recipe was to make and the flavor was amazing! Thank you Half-Baked Harvest!
Hi Judy,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your feedback!🌼🥑 xx