Silky egg-and-parmesan sauce, crispy bacon, no cream needed

$2.51/serving$2.91at the cheapest of your stores this week · 7 ingredients on sale

Ingredients

• spaghettihalf a pack
• bacon150 g
• egg3 ea
• parmesan cheesea big handful, finely grated
• garlic (optional)1 clove
• spring mix2 handfuls
• lemon1 ea

Method

1The sauce base

• •Whisk 2 whole eggs plus 1 extra yolk in a bowl big enough to hold the finished pasta.
• •Whisk in the grated parmesan and 1 tsp coarse black pepper.
• •Hold off on salt; the bacon and cheese bring plenty.

2Bacon

• •Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
• •Start the bacon in a cold, wide pan over medium heat with the whole smashed garlic clove if desired.
• •Cook 6 to 8 minutes until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp.
• •Fish out the garlic and keep the fat in the pan, off the heat.

3Pasta

• •Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in well-salted water 1 minute short of the package time.
• •Just before draining, scoop out a full mug of the starchy pasta water.

4The toss (off the heat)

• •Tip the hot spaghetti into the bacon pan and toss 30 seconds in the fat.
• •Take the pan off the heat and pour in the egg mixture with a splash of pasta water.
• •Toss constantly 1 to 2 minutes until it turns into a glossy sauce, using residual heat only so the eggs do not scramble.
• •Loosen with more pasta water as the sauce thickens.

5Plate

• •Twirl the pasta into warm bowls.
• •Top with extra parmesan and black pepper.
• •Toss the greens with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt to cut the richness.
• •Serve the salad beside the pasta.