Garlic scapes are available only for a short time in spring. Used in this Garlic Scape Carbonara recipe, the result is a creamy, flavorful pasta.
Creamy, rich, delightful ... this Garlic Scape Carbonara is the pasta recipe you want to make in June when garlic scapes are abundant.
Garlic scapes, the curly, flowering shoots of garlic, are available only for a short time in spring. They have a garlic flavor without the bite of mature garlic, which lends a lovely flavor to this Garlic Scape Carbonara recipe.
Let's chat about garlic scapes first.
Last year, while trolling a local farmers market, I discovered some curly green shoots that were unlike anything I had ever seen. Vibrantly green and mostly firm, save a slight grassy portion at the top, I took a few garlic scapes home and cooked with them and promptly fell in love.
What were the strange, unfamiliar things? Garlic scapes.
But garlic scapes have a sadly short season (they are, after all, the flowerings shoots that come off of young, immature garlic and are cut off on purpose), so I didn't get a chance to have them again last year.
I waited — and waited and waited.
When the farmers' market that I went to last year didn't open earlier this month (it seems that a lack of popularity has shuttered the hit or miss event), I thought I had missed another season of my delicious garlic scapes discovery altogether.
But I didn't.
Last week, Will and I tried a different farmers' market in the pouring rain. The first thing I spotted as we snuck in between two booths was (yesssss!) bunches of garlic scapes bound with rubber bands.
Of course, I immediately purchased some, with visions of this garlic scapes recipe already dancing in my head. Last summer, I started working on a Garlic Scape Carbonara pasta recipe. Now, it's time to share.
Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta with a rich, creamy sauce made from a fatty cured pork like guanciale, eggs, hard cheese like pecorino romano and salt. For this version, I've used bacon instead of guanciale, which is more accessible, and added garlic scapes for complexity. The resulting garlic scapes pasta is delectably creamy with lots of garlic taste (but without the bite of matured garlic).
It's divine, delicious and delovely. I suggest you try this garlic scapes recipe too.
June 2024 update:
I first shared this recipe 15 years ago in 2009 and have made it dozens and dozens of times since. On my latest make, I decided to update the photos and captured the creaminess better than it ever has been before. I'm pretty excited about the update (I've left one of the original photos in the post too for posterity). Since 2009, this post has been viewed thousands and thousands of times. I've heard from many readers who love this pasta dish. What's more is that Saveur loved this dish as well. It was featured on the Saveur website not long after it appeared here. If you love it, I hope you will come back and comment. Or, better yet, share with your friends via social media, email or old fashioned word of mouth. Thanks so much for reading. - Sarah
Garlic Scape Carbonara
This pasta is fantastic as a meal served with a big garden salad and some crusty bread. If desired, add a half-cup of fresh, lightly cooked peas to the mix for a little added nutrition (and sweetness).
Ingredients
- ½ lb campanella pasta, or sauce-grabbing shape of your choosing
- 4 slices bacon, (about 3 ¼ ounces), chopped
- ¼ cup garlic scapes, cut into ¼ inch coins
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape).
- While it's cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).
- Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.
- When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don't let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the Romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don't add it all at once or it won't mix throughout the pasta as well (since it will clump).
- Serve immediately.
More garlic scape recipes:
- Garlic Scape Marinated Roasted Red Peppers
- Garlic Scape Risotto
- White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip at New York Times
- Octopus with Fingerlings and Garlic Scapes at Foodista
- Grilled Garlic Scapes at FoodieTots
- Pickled Dilly Garlic Scapes at Becky and the Beanstock
Oh wow - that sounds sooooo good! Great pics too!
I haven't been lucky enough to find garlic scapes, but hope to next year when they are in season! Your recipe looks so perfect for a summer dinner!
I had been wondering what these curly things were! Man, am I glad you posted this - I tried them last week and they were delicious! I tried pesto - and if you haven't tried it yet, def do - much stronger flavor, reminded me of ramps. Then I did a bacon pasta dish inspired by your recipe and MAN possibly one of the best pasta dishes I've made!
maybe try garlic chives as a substitute, if garlic scapes are out-of-season. garlic chives are available mail-order and are in season until first frost.
Why couldn't one sprout a couple of heads of garlic
to get scapes?
I have been growing garlic in my 'Victory Garden' for 15 years. I don't harvest all of it for cooking, but every 2 years I gently pull the heads (they are small) separate & replant a little further apart. I keep it at both ends of the bed so I can dig or double-dig without disturbing it. Thus I have my own scapes every spring here in the Hudson Valley. The greens are up 10" today, so the scapes will be soon to come. They keep very well in the veggie drawer, also. Congrats on the Saveur Best of the Web, Sarah!
One of the advantages of growing your own garlic (I think that is the easy part) is you can go out to your garden and get your own scrapes when you need them. This was a wonderful dinner (and a leftover lunch). A real keeper.
I tried the above recipe for Garlic Scape Carbonara last night. OMG, it was sooooo good, although I was a bit heavy-handed on the pepper flakes. I will definitely try the recipe again (like maybe next week) but will reduce the amount of pepper flakes. I don't like things too spicy. Thanks you sharing that recipe.
I just got some scapes from my farmer. How do you prepare them, exactly? Do you chop 'em up? Do you eat the whole thing? Your recipe just tells me to cook them... but how?
THANKS!
Shaun
Hi Shaun, the whole scape can be used -- just cut them into 1/4 inch coins, as stated in the ingredients, and saute as directed. Good luck! I'm hoping to get some this weekend.
Hi! I'm a late arrival to your post but wanted to share my delight! I joined a CSA this year and have been scratching my head for ideas to use the garlic scapes. Your recipe was the perfect answer. Quick and delicious. I also added cherry tomatoes. Yum! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I would like to suggest that carbonara is a sauce for long pasta. The eggs tend to get gunked up into all the ridges and curls on your typical sort pasta, like campanile.
Otherwise, great recipe!
Er, I meant "short" pasta.