Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara | Hit The Kitch with Molly Baz

chorizo

🥗Healthier: turkey chorizo

💰Cheaper: smoked sausage

Turkey chorizo reduces fat while maintaining flavor.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free and adds umami.

Cut the chorizo into nuggety chunks, about three planks and then cube it up.

In a Dutch oven, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

Add the cubed chorizo to the pot and cook until crispy, rendering out the fat, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove the crispy chorizo bits from the pot, leaving the oil behind.

Add drained chickpeas to the pot and season with salt, frying them in the chorizo oil until crispy, about 3-5 minutes.

While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the egg and cheese mixture by whisking together 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, and about 2 ounces of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese until it forms a paste.

Season the pasta water with salt and bring it to a boil, then add the rigatoni pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.

Once the pasta is cooked, reserve about half a cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

Add the hot pasta to the pot with the chickpeas, tossing to combine.

Add black pepper to the chickpeas to bloom the flavor in the oil.

Turn off the heat and temper the egg and cheese mixture by whisking in some of the reserved hot pasta water to loosen it up.

Quickly pour the tempered egg mixture over the hot pasta, stirring rapidly to create a creamy sauce.

Taste and adjust seasoning with more black pepper if desired.

Garnish with lemon juice before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens