Description
Bright, vibrant, fresh – this carbonara-inspired pea, pancetta and spinach pasta has it all. It’s packed with greens but still feels like a luxurious meal, perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions.
Ingredients
- 2oz/60g parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- 1 cup basil leaves, plus more to serve
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2oz/60g pancetta, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 8oz/225g dried pasta of your choice (I used orecchiette)
- A handful of mint leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chili flakes
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, miso paste, spinach, basil, lemon juice, salt and a good grind of black pepper to a blender or food processor. Blitz until super smooth, then set aside.
- Cook your pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add your pasta and cook according to packet instructions. You want the pasta to be JUST al dente (cooked, but still with a bit of a bite). PRO TIP: If you’re using fresh pasta, cook the pasta after you’ve cooked the pancetta and peas as it only takes a couple of minutes to cook, rather than dried pasta which takes about 8 – 10 minutes.
- Cook the pancetta and peas. Add the diced pancetta to a large,high-sided pan and set the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the pancetta is lovely and crispy. At this point, add the frozen peas and stir them through the pancetta as they defrost. Turn the heat off.
- Temper the spinach sauce. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into your spinach sauce, mixing as you do. This is going to temper the sauce and help you ensure that the eggs in the sauce won’t scramble when they hit the hot pan.
- Add the pasta to the peas and pancetta. Once your pasta is cooked, turn the heat back on the pan with the peas and pancetta, until you can hear sizzling. At this point, turn the heat off, then add the cooked pasta (I use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly into the pan from the cooking pot for ease). Toss the pasta through the pancetta and peas.
- Mix the pasta with the sauce. Pour in the spinach sauce and toss really well to combine it with the pasta. As you mix it, you’ll notice the sauce thicken as the eggs cook in the residual heat of the pan. If it’s not thickening, you can turn the heat on to the lowest setting and keep mixing the sauce through the pasta but be careful – keep mixing as if the pan gets too hot the sauce can split. Add a little more pasta water if you prefer a looser sauce, or add grated parmesan to thicken the sauce. Divide the pasta between plates, then top with the mint leaves, remaining basil, chili flakes and another sprinkling of parmesan.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: If you can’t find pancetta, you can use streaky bacon instead. Try to use baby leaf spinach as it will blitz into the sauce more easily. While I adore using the miso paste (it gives you a lovely deep savory flavor that salt alone won’t), if you can’t find it you can leave it out.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The pasta is best eaten right after it’s cooked, but you can reheat it later if you like. My favorite way to reheat it is over low heat on the stovetop – add about 1/4 cup of water when you do to loosen the sauce up again. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits, so you fo need to add a little more when you reheat it.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 818
- Sugar: 2.9g
- Sodium: 11287mg
- Fat: 32.7g
- Saturated Fat: 11.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 81.7g
- Fiber: 6.4g
- Protein: 53g
- Cholesterol: 498mg