Creamy Spinach Pasta with Pancetta and a Cookbook Giveaway!

First things first... the cookbook giveaway! I'm proud to have been asked to participate in the ThinkFood Cookbook which features brain-healthy recipes from 50 bloggers around the world. It was published by Posit Science and aims to bring awareness to brain diseases and gives advice on what foods are nurturing to your brain and body. The recipes all include 'brain-healthy' ingredients such as spinach, blueberries, matcha, pecans, cinnamon, garlic and dark chocolate. The book is absolutely gorgeous and I am honored to be a part of it.

Now, about how you can win this beauty of a cookbook! To enter the contest, simply comment on this post and tell me which recipe you are looking forward to try from my blog. Contestants must be from the United States or Canada to enter and the contest will end on Friday September 17th, at midnight. I will then randomly pick a winner and send you the book!

Now, for today's recipe! This is a take on pasta carbonara using pancetta and a healthy dose of spinach. It's nice and creamy and easy to put together. Just make sure you use good quality Parmesan as it really makes the dish. The eggs just slightly cook when tossed into the pasta and create that perfect amount of creamy goodness without using cream. It's really one of those perfectly comforting meals for the colder days ahead. I like to serve it with a simple tomato and crisp lettuce salad and finish the meal with a simple fruit salad such as this one.


Creamy Spinach Pasta with Pancetta
Serves 2

Penne pasta for 2
1/4 cup of diced pancetta
1 egg yolk + 1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, add the diced pancetta to a pan on medium low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and whole egg until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the cracked black pepper and Parmesan. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking water from the pasta to help temper the eggs. Whisk vigorously as soon as you add the water to the eggs.

Add the spinach to the pan with pancetta and saute for 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and stir through. Add the egg mixture and stir. Serve immediately with a little extra grated Parmesan. Enjoy!