The ultimate makeover: Spaghetti carbonara

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Italian comfort food without the calories, this recipe is rich and creamy, yet just one third of the fat

Prep:15 mins
Cook:20 mins

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 527
fat 16.1g
saturates 6.3g
carbs 70g
sugars 4.4g
fibre 5.2g
protein 29.7g
salt 1.63g

Ingredients

85g parmesan
2 eggs, preferably organic
200g frozen peas
350g spaghetti (we used De Cecco)
1 tbsp olive oil
100g lean back bacon, fat removed, bacon chopped into small pieces
2 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful snipped chives

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Then get everything ready. Grate the cheese and beat the eggs in a bowl with a little pepper. Cook the peas in boiling water for 2-3 mins, drain and set aside.
Cook the spaghetti to al dente following pack instructions. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the oil in a large, deep frying or sauté pan. Fry the bacon for several mins until it starts to go crisp. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly until pale brown. Tip in the peas and if the spaghetti isn’t quite ready, keep warm over a very low heat.
When the pasta is done, take the pan with the bacon in off the heat. Lift the spaghetti out of its pan with a pair of tongs and drop it into the frying pan with the garlic, bacon and peas. Mix most of the cheese into the eggs, keeping back a handful of cheese for sprinkling over each serving. Quickly pour in the eggs and cheese, lifting and stirring with the tongs so everything mixes well and the spaghetti gets coated. Ladle in some more of the pasta water, enough to coat the spaghetti and create a bit of sauce in the pan.
Spoon or twirl the pasta into shallow serving bowls using a long pronged fork. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of the reserved cheese, some snipped chives and a grating of black pepper.