March 26th was National Spinach Day so I decided I wanted to pay tribute to this tasty, green vegetable, by making a spinach-themed dish. I love eating pasta and I love making pasta so when I thought of spinach, my first thought was spinach fettuccine. I've used spinach fettuccine many times, typically with grilled chicken. It's light and tasty and looks great on the plate. However, for this "tribute to spinach," I wanted something more flavorful. After combing Pinterest, some books and every other site under the sun for inspiration, I decided to use the spinach fettuccine to make a spinach carbonara. Spinach fettuccine, fresh baby spinach, pancetta and of course the carbonara "sauce!" So good and so easy to make! Enjoy...
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 1 lb spinach fettuccine
- One 5-ounce container baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4oz. pancetta, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
- Salt to taste
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spinach fettuccine until al dente (preferably with a pasta pot, insert colander).
Meanwhile, in a large, non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium heat, about 1 minute. Add pancetta and cook until brown. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon, place on a folded paper towel. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet and remove skillet from heat.
In a bowl, whisk eggs with Pecorino Romano and ground black pepper. Measure out 1/2 cup of the pasta water and gradually whisk into egg mixture, then set aside.
When pasta is almost done, add pancetta back to skillet and reheat on med/low heat.
Add the spinach to the fettuccine (directly in to pasta pot), then drain immediately. Transfer spinach and pasta to skillet with pancetta, and add in the egg mixture. Turn off heat and toss continuously until spinach has wilted and pasta is well coated. Plate and serve, sprinkling with a little more Pecorino Romano if desired. Enjoy!
