Easy Bacon Carbonara
with Pear Salad & Pine Nuts
Rules were made to be broken, right? When it comes to cooking, we don’t let rules get in the way of a good dish. So, we've gone ahead and added cream, baby spinach and pine nuts to this carbonara and we reckon it’s worth any potential controversy!
Unfortunately, this week's spaghetti was in short supply, so we've replaced it with penne. Don't worry, the recipe will be just as delicious!
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
/Â Serving 4 people
/Â Serving 4 people
1 unit
red onion
1 unit
pear
2 packet
penne
(ContainsGlutenMay be presentSoy, Egg)1 block
Parmesan cheese
(ContainsMilk)½ bottle
pure cream
(ContainsMilk)1 packet
pine nuts
(ContainsTree NutsMay be presentSoy, Gluten, Peanuts, Sesame, Milk)1 packet
diced bacon
1 bag
baby spinach leaves
Not included in your delivery
olive oil
2 unit
eggs
(ContainsEggs)2 tsp
vinegar (balsamic or white wine)
½ tsp
honey
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the pear. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.
Add the penne to the saucepan of boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until ‘al dente’, 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the penne. Return the penne to the saucepan and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
TIP: 'Al dente' means the pasta is cooked through but still has a tiny bit of firmness in the middle.
While the penne is cooking, crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk with a fork. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 bottle of pure cream and a generous pinch of pepper. Mix well and set aside. 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, tossing, until golden, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Return the pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion and diced bacon and cook until golden, 7-8 minutes.
Add the cooked penne to the frying 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 reserved pasta water. Mix well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
TIP: Removing the pan from the heat before adding the carbonara sauce is important to prevent the eggs from scrambling. TIP: If the sauce seems thick, add more pasta water until the sauce is creamy and silky.
In a medium bowl, combine the pear, remaining baby spinach leaves and the honey-vinegar dressing. Toss to coat. Divide the easy bacon carbonara between bowls. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve with the pear salad.