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Perfect lemony spinach carbanara

A delicious and easy vegetarian twist on a carbonara pasta with spinach and lemon.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Total Time:30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 150 grams whole-wheat linguini or any long pasta of your choice
  • 1 large free range egg
  • 60 ml / 1/4 cup creme fraiche
  • 60 ml / 1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese and a bit extra for sprinkling
  • 2 - 3 cups of baby leaf spinach
  • zest of one small lemon - finely grated
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of salty water to the boil and cook your pasta until al dente.
  • While the pasta is cooking - get all your other ingredients ready and waiting: Grate the Parmesan cheese and measure out the creme fraiche. Beat the egg.
  • Drain the pasta over a bowl, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
  • Immediately put the pasta back into the pot it was cooking in, back on the stove and add a splash (about 1/4 cup) of the cooking liquid.
  • Add the spinach and stir it through the pasta, and put the lid on the pot and flash steam the leaves for a minute or two. Stir once or twice more to ensure the spinach is mixed into the pasta and is cooked. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the creme fraiche and lemon zest to the beaten egg and mix. Stir this through the very hot pasta and spinach to coat all the strands. The carry-over heat from the pasta will cook the egg. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to fully to combine and then put the lid back on the pot for a minute or so to allow it all to integrate.
  • Check if it needs salt and pepper. It should be quite salty from the cheese and the pasta water.

Notes

Carbonara, as with many cream and egg/cream pasta sauces, does not reheat very well, as the cream will often spit into butter/oil. This dish is best eaten straight after it has been made.