Pasta Carbonara is a decadent and delicious dish that is made from cream, egg, cheese, black pepper, and bacon, but it is not especially great for your arteries.

I don’t eat bacon, but I love the heartiness and warmth of the dish. The smokiness of the lox–which is a fancy way of saying smoked salmon–is a perfect substitute for bacon, and you still get the salty and meaty taste. I was inspired to do a lighter version of pasta carbonara since I wasn’t going to use the fatty bacon, and I used Greek yogurt instead of cream.

I take dinner very seriously, and I cook most nights of the week. Dinner is my time to shine, practice cooking, and to explore different ideas and flavors. I look at dinner as my main meal of the day, and I make sure that it’s healthful roots shine through.

Cooking with fresh produce and fish is very important to me, and it is a sure way to spruce the nutrients up in your cooking. I am the only one who cooks in my house (out of the two of us), and I feel a certain responsibility to provide my partner with foods that will enhance his life and health.

That may sound dramatic, but food is a huge part of who we are and what we become. I want to be healthy, innovative, and a little bit spicy–so I try and eat that way, too! I see that my partner has good eating habits that he has learned from me, and I feel really proud that I gave him those skills and values. That is a big part of why I love to cook and why I love to write about cooking–I want others to have a great relationship with food, like I do. My relationship with food is getting pretty serious!

This recipe is filling and tasty. With the substitution of smoked salmon and Greek yogurt, the dish is transformed into a lighter alternative with a lot less fat. This dish is tangy from the yogurt, salty from the lox, and a little spicy from the black pepper and cayenne. Even people who don’t like to eat fish will love this dish.

What you will need for two people:

1 cup of orzo al dente

1 package of smoked salmon, chopped

1 small red onion

3 cloves of garlic minced ( I love a lot of garlic. Feel free to use less)

1/3 cup of Greek yogurt

1 egg whisked

3/4 cup grated parmesan

a bunch of basil chopped

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

tons of black pepper

Saute the garlic and onion with olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the chopped salmon. When the salmon’s color turns a lighter pink, add the orzo into the pan. Mix the greek yogurt in until it is well-incorporated. Add the whisked egg and the parmesan and mix. Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Don’t worry about overdoing it on the black pepper, it is a key ingredient. The consistency should not be too creamy or saucy, but a little dryer than you might expect. Top with parmesan and fresh basil and enjoy.