Giada De Laurentiis' Secret Canned Addition That Gives Spaghetti Carbonara A Cozy Fall Twist

Carbonara is one of the most beloved pasta dishes out there. Rich, creamy, and laden with deliciously sharp cheese and salty cured pork, the traditional Roman recipe is easy to make, but people do tend to switch it up from time to time. The guanciale (pork cheek) typically used in Italy may be replaced with bacon or pancetta in other parts of the world, whereas heavy cream – a sin to an Italian – is common in American renditions, much like vegetable-laden versions. Even Giada De Laurentiis has messed with carbonara with her addition of pumpkin.

The Roman-born celebrity chef is known for elevating authentic Italian food with simple recipes that trace back to her roots. Some of them, like pasta al limone, don't veer too far off their original tracks. But, others like her pumpkin carbonara have a little more flair. According to De Laurentiis' website, Giadzy, a little pumpkin puree can transform a classic carbonara into a warming, fall-inspired dish that's perfect for colder weather and pairs well with the recipe's rich and savory components. 

"It's a super fun twist," says De Laurentiis' in a video shared on Facebook. She goes on, "It's creamy, comforting, and autumnal. What more could you ask for?"

You can copy De Laurentiis' recipe by simply adding about one cup of canned pumpkin puree and a little fresh nutmeg to any egg and cheese-based carbonara sauce. She adds a bit of chicken broth, too. Then, she blends the pumpkin and egg mixture, before adding it into the pasta. A classic carbonara recipe usually calls for eggs and cheese to be whisked together, rather than blended, but you might not have as much success with this method due to the puree's density. 

De Laurentiis also uses onions and garlic in her recipe, which isn't typical of a traditional carbonara, but people do like to add them for a little sweetness and extra boldness. Apart from that, her pumpkin carbonara pretty much takes on the same form on the one you might know and love from rendering the pork first to adding pasta water to the sauce and making sure you don't overcook the egg mixture.

Beyond carbonara, you could add sweetly earthy pumpkin puree into other recipes like stuffed shells or creamy garlic butter noodles. Pumpkin can really amp an easy alfredo sauce, as well. It's even delicious with any brown-butter based pasta sauce. Do as De Laurentiis and give pumpkin a try — we won't tell the Romans.