Easy Bacon Carbonara
with Spinach Salad
Rules were made to be broken, right? And when it comes to cooking, we don’t let rules get in the way of a good dish. So, we have gone ahead and added cream, baby spinach and pine nuts to this carbonara and we reckon it’s worth any potential controversy!
Always read product labels for the most up-to-date allergen information. Visit hellofresh.co.nz/foodinfo for allergen and ingredient information. If you have received a substitute ingredient, please be aware allergens may have changed
Ingredients
1 block
Parmesan cheese
(Contains Milk; )
2 packet
bacon
1 unit
onion
1 unit
cucumber
2 packet
spaghetti
(Contains Gluten; May be present Soy, Egg. )
½ tub
cooking cream
(Contains Milk; )
1 bag
baby spinach leaves
Not included in your delivery
olive oil
2 unit
egg
(Contains Egg; )
3 tsp
vinegar (balsamic or white wine)
½ tsp
honey
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. TIP: Putting a lid on the saucepan helps it boil faster! Thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the cucumber into half-moons. Cut the bacon into 1cm pieces. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.
Add the spaghetti to the saucepan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until ‘al dente’. TIP: Stir the pasta regularly to ensure it doesn't stick. Drain the pasta reserving 2 cups cooking water, then return the pasta to the saucepan. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk with a fork. Add the finely grated Parmesan cheese, cooking cream (see ingredients list) and a generous pinch of pepper. Mix well and set aside. TIP: Using more cream will dilute the flavour.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and 1 tbs of olive oil. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a small bowl.
Return the pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the bacon and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until golden. Add the red onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
Add the spaghetti to the pan with the bacon and toss to coat. Add 1/2 the baby spinach leaves and stir through until wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the carbonara sauce and 1/3 cup of the cooking water. TIP: Removing the pan from the heat before adding the egg is important to stop the eggs from scrambling. Mix well to combine. TIP: If the sauce looks too thick, add more cooking water until the sauce is creamy and silky. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide the bacon carbonara between bowls. Sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts.
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber and remaining baby spinach leaves with the honey-vinegar dressing and serve on the side.