Upgrade classic carbonara with sweet roasted cherry tomatoes – the perfect family dinner idea for celebrating the warmer weather. With a deliciously creamy carbonara sauce, smoky bacon, and a scattering of basil, this pasta recipe is really easy to rustle up and you can be tucking in in just 30 minutes.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 mins
COOKING TIME: 20 mins
SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 1 sliced
- 330g pack cherry tomatoes, halved
- 15g fresh basil, leaves and stalks
- 300g spaghetti
- 200g pack smoked bacon lardons
- 3 large eggs
- 50g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve (optional)
- extra-virgin olive oil, to serve (optional)
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Put 1 tbsp oil, the crushed garlic, half the tomatoes, the basil stalks and the larger leaves on a baking tray; season. Mix well to coat in the oil. Roast for 10 mins, then stir through the remaining tomatoes. Roast for 5 mins more. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti for 1 min less than the pack instructions. Drain, reserving 6 tbsp of the water.
- Heat ½ tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon for 6-8 mins until golden and crisp. Add the sliced garlic to the pan and fry for 1 min
- Meanwhile, mix the eggs, Parmesan and 4 tbsp of the pasta cooking water in a bowl. Season well. Remove the bacon pan from the heat; use tongs to transfer the cooked spaghetti into it. Add the egg and cheese mixture and toss everything together, stirring quickly so the egg doesn’t set on the base of the pan. Add 1-2 tbsp of the remaining pasta water to make a glossy sauce that coats the spaghetti. The sauce will cook in the residual heat from the pan.
- Gently fold in the tomatoes with any juices from the tray, discarding the basil stalks. Scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Serve with extra Parmesan and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if you like.
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Source: Tesco Recipes
